Little Glimpses Of Love
by Cj4Dj
Summary: Ross and Rachel, a couple meant to be from the start. These glimpses tell their story. Teen/Mature rating for some content and themes. R&R is highly appreciated. Thank you for reading! Updated 03-01-2012 26; Wake up call.
1. Holding on to You

_**Little Glimpses Of Love.**_

_**RnR Ficlets**_

_**By Jen**_

_A/n; Ross and Rachel, the couple that was meant to be._

_Little ficlets that deal with their love for one another in sadness and happiness. _

_Happy readings!_

**1; Holding On To You...**

**A/n; **** Ross; "It was incredible, I mean it just felt so right and when I was holding her, I-I-I-I mean I-I never wanted to let her go..."**

**That quote inspired this little snippet. It takes place after the uncut scene of Rachel and Ross, passionately kissing their way into his bedroom.**

**Enjoy.**

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Passion, hot fiery passion, that is what this was. Two hearts connecting in a way that many never deemed possible. Ragged breaths and soft moans, accompanied by an occasional whisper of sweet nothings filled the dimly lit room.

Two bodies, slick with sweat, moving in complete synchrony. Hands were exploring freely, trailing every inch of bare skin possible.

Ross couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe he was in this situation right now. He kissed the nape of her neck affectionately. This couldn't be a dream , it was all too real to be just a fragment of his imagination.

He opened his eyes slightly to look at the woman beneath him, her eyes were closed, her face screwed up in pleasure.

He loved watching her in this intimate moment. He loved the way her mouth was opened slightly, he loved the sound of the soft noises she was making. He loved the way she wrapped her legs around him in an act of raw lust. He loved the way she arched her body into his, holding him closer to herself as if he were her lifeline in this rocky ocean of emotions and feelings.

"Ross.."

He loved the way she moaned his name so intense the most, it send shivers down his already trembling body. He tangled his fingers through her hair, the silken strands slid through them smoothly. He kissed her slightly opened mouth softly before he buried his nose in her hair. He loved the smell of her hair, always had.

He was drowning, drowning in the essence that was Rachel, his first true love. Sure he's had other women but she has always been the one. He hugged her tighter to himself as he quickened his pace. He did not want this to end, he didn't want to let go of her.

He could feel his control slipping away from him as he came closer and closer to the point of no return. He could feel she was close as well, he heard it in her voice.

"Please..", she whispered in his ear, he felt her hands on his back, her nails dug into his skin but it didn't hurt. Instead it felt amazing to him.

"Rach.." he moaned softly, unable to stop the flow of emotions and feelings as he went over the edge taking her with him. He hugged her so tightly against his body that he was scared of crushing her but he couldn't loosen his grip on her.

Shivers racked his body as he gently collapsed on top of her. He gazed at her, she was having trouble regaining her breath for a moment.

Ross lifted his upper body from her by supporting his weight on his elbows, he caressed her cheek lovingly.

For moments they just stared at each other, both regaining their senses and trying to comprehend what just happened. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. He closed the little gap between their lips and kissed her, he poured every feeling he was experiencing right at this moment into it. Still kissing her, he rolled them over so she was on top of him.

She stole a few last nips before breaking the intense kiss to lay herself down on his chest.

"Rachel I..", he started to whisper but she silenced him by putting her fingers to his lips.

Ross chuckled softly to himself as he wrapped her up in his arms even tighter. He kissed the top of her head. They could talk later. Right now he wanted to savor this sweet moment for as long as he could. He could feel her hand stroking his sweaty stomach. He felt her take a deep breath.

He stroke her back lovingly as he watched her drift into slumber. Closing his eyes he thought to himself that it had never felt better to hold her in his arms like it did right now. He laced his fingers with hers on his stomach and felt sleep tug at his consciousness.

They'd work this all out some how, they had too...........

End.

Thank you for reading.


	2. Decision

Little Glimpses of Love.

Ficlet 2; Decision.

_A/n; This takes off directly after TOW Rachel's going away party but before the Uncut scene in the finale that the first ficlet was about. A quote by Joey made me write this._

_**(In Monica's apartment)**_

_**Phoebe; "Wait Ross doesn't know that the baby is coming! should we call him and tell him?"**_

_**Joey; "Oh I don't know, Rachel is still over there yelling at him, poor guy, I would not want to be Ross right now"**_

_I always wondered hoe Joey knew that so here is my take on it._

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**"You know what?! Have a ..have a great time in Paris!"**, Ross yelled before he stormed out of the apartment, leaving a stunned and heartbroken Rachel behind. She just stared at the open door, silent tears made their way down her cheeks.

It wasn't long before the sobs escaped her throat and she completely broke down. Her legs felt as if they couldn't held her up anymore so she walked over to her room and just plopped down on the bed.

Burying her face in her pillow, she wept. She couldn't believe that Ross had taken it so hard. Didn't he know it was hard on her as well? She knew she was the one that was going away but that didn't make this situation any easier on her either.

She hated to admit it to herself, but his words had actually stung, they had actually hurt her in a way that she never anticipated. She rolled over to her side staring at the wall while she wiped her tears away but that didn't really help since they just kept coming.

She thought back at all the times they had together whether apart from each other or not. Even though they certainly had their differences and arguments, she knew that he was the only guy she'd ever been so comfortable with.

She let out a sigh as she remembered saying goodbye to Joey, she had dreaded the moment where she knew she had to say goodbye to Ross so badly that she simply chickened out. Looking back at her actions, she had to admit that Ross had every right to be upset with her. She would probably feel the same if it were the other way around but it just seemed so hard and impossible to say goodbye to him. He was such a great part of her life, then and now. They even had a beautiful baby girl together.

Rachel knew that she should count herself so very lucky with a considerate guy as Ross, she couldn't even comprehend how hard it must be for him to see, not only her leave ,but his daughter too.

She frowned slightly, in a way she was being very selfish and she knew it. But yet it still didn't stop her from wanting to go.

If there was **one** thing that would stop her from going, it was the fact that she would not be able to see him every day. She remembered that time when Emily had wanted Ross to exclude her from his life, the feeling she had then was nothing compared to what she was feeling now.

She stood up from her bed to get a glass of water. She saw Joey and Phoebe rummaging around in the kitchen cabinets. Phoebe looked up when she heard a noise behind her.

"Rachel, are you okay?", she said concerned.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine, just getting some water", she answered getting a glass from a overhead cabinet and filling it with water.

"You don't look fine, your face is all red", Joey pointed out.

"Yeah well..", Rachel trailed off.

Phoebe took her by the arm and guided her to the couch and sat her down. She and Joey sat on both her sides next to her.

"What happened", Phoebe said using her most serious voice.

Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat and told them about Ross' outbursts against her.

After she was done, both Phoebe and Joey gave her sympathetic looks.

"Look", Joey started, "I know you don't want to hear it but Ross is right, he deserves a goodbye, even more then the rest of us".

Phoebe gave him a smile before she too turned to face Rachel.

"It's unbelievable but Joey is right for once, place yourself in his shoes for a moment. This is a huge shock for him you know, and then we all get our goodbyes and he doesn't. I can understand why he would feel that way"

Rachel wiped her eyes just staring ahead of herself as she mulled her friend's words over in her head. She knew how hard it must be on Ross, but this whole situation was taking its toll on her too. Ross was not the only one hurting!

She abruptly stood up and faced Joey and Phoebe.

"What about me?! Do you really think this isn't hard on me as well? God I just..........", She balled her fists, a determined look appeared on her face.

"You know what, never mind!", she said storming towards the door.

"Where are you going?", Joey said a little panicked.

Rachel didn't even turn around as she stormed out with a scowl on her face, she had made her decision .

"I'm going to give Ross a piece of my mind!', she all but yelled frustrated before she slammed the door shut.

Phoebe and Joey shared a look.

"uhm.............okay", Joey said speechless.

"Let's get back to packing, Monica is going to freak if we don't finish it", Phoebe said simply.

Joey took the tape he previously had fished from the kitchen cabinets and followed Phoebe out of the door into Monica and chandlers apartment.

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End

Thank you reading! reviews are appreciated!


	3. TOW The Kiss

_**Little Glimpses Of Love.**_

_**3; TOW The Kiss.**_

**A/N; Here is another ficlet for you to enjoy, I hope. This is sparked by Rachel's explaining of that fantastic central perk kiss she shared with Ross. I'm just writing out what she is saying basically. This will start at the moment where Rachel tries to open the door at CP!**

**Enjoy!**

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...She yanked at the door but it wouldn't budge, she checked the locks again. For some reason her heart was doing little flip flops in her chest.

"Try the bottom one", Ross said. She stared at him for a moment before she bend through her knees and undid the bottom lock of the door. She stood up again and slowly opened the door. The wind blew some of the soft falling rain in her face but she didn't care about that right now.

He was gazing at her, his deep chocolate brown eyes locked with her blue ones and for some strange reason she never felt more nervous under someone's stare then she did now. Her heart was racing in her chest as she stared back at him.

Then he took the few steps that closed the gap that seperated them and kissed her passionatly. She responded almost immediatly to his passion and closed her eyes. Her hands were on his face as she moved her lips in sync with his.

She lost herself in his kiss. His hands were on her waist, she could feel the slight trembe of his fingers flexing against the fabric of her t-shirt.

He slowly broke the kiss and just stared at her. She had to regain her breath a little, she was panting and so was he. Her eyes were half closed and her lips were sighty parted. A small satisfied sigh escaped her mouth.

She bit her bottom lip as she stared at him, not exactly knowing what to do now, he seemed to be struggling with that very fact too, it showed on his face before he got a determend expression.

He closed his eyes and swooped in for another kiss, this one was softer but just as passionate.

Rachel closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as close as she could to her body. She slighty tilted her face so he could deepen the kiss.

The moment their tongues touched, she felt her knees buckle just the slightest, a small moan escaped her mouth but she didn't care about that now, all that mattered was this intimate moment that she had longed for quite a while now and it was so much better then in her imagination.

His hands slowly slid up against her sides till they reached the clip that was in her hair. With one swift motion, his fingers had undone the clip and her hair fell freely to her shoulders. He tangled his hands in the smooth silken strands, they slipped through his fingers like water.

Rachel was lost again, her hands slid over his shoulders back to his chest, she grabbed his coat as if she needed a lifeline to hold onto. Her heart was beating so fast that she wouldn't be surprised if it exploded in her chest.

With a few last loving nips, Ross broke the kiss and just hugged her close to him. She buried her face in his chest. She could feel the erratic beating of his heart through his clothes.

"Wow", she heard him whisper and it made her smile as she looked up at his blushing face. She did that to him, and she was proud of it.

The rain was coming down harder and the wind kept blowing it inside, Rachel shivered slightly as she slowy untangled herself from his arms.

For a moment they just stared at eachother, both at a loss for words . Then Ross cleared his throat.

"Uhm"

Rachel just looked at him, she didn't really know what to do now, she was still so overwhelmed by what just happened.

"I better let you close off..", Ross trailed off, he was looking down at his shoes, his cheeks were still pink colored. He looked a little lost himself.

"Uh right!", Rachel said blushing as well.

"I.....I should go...", Ross said softly.

"Y..yeah"

Ross turned away from her and started walking back out of the door, he looked back at her for a second and she gave him a smile.

"I'll uh... I'll see you tomorrow?"

Rachel nodded, "Yeah definitly"

Ross nodded at her, a goofy smile around his lips as he walked off to his own building.

Rachel just watched him go, her fingers touching her lips softly.

"Oh wow", she whispered to herself. Just now the realisation of what just happened really sunk in. She gathered her clip from the ground, she blushed as she remembered how his hands had traveled up to tangle in her hair. She re-did the bun she wore before the kiss and grabbed her coat and keys. As she closed and locked the door to Central Perk, she realised that she couldn't stop smiling.

She felt like skipping the few steps to her building but decided not to, it would seem weird to other people. She quickened her step, she wanted to be home as soon as possible, she had to share this wonderful experience with someone......she hoped that Monica was still up.....

End!


	4. Wicked Games

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**4; Wicked Games.**

**A/N; ****Okay here it is! The fourth ficlet in this little series of mine. This ficlet starts off right when TOW Ross and Rachel...........You know ends. I've always wondered how they ended up in the museum display after the planetarium and I know I am not the only one wondering that around here^^ **

**A warning beforehand! This ficlet is rated ****R**** and deals with Adult themes and situations of a sexual matter. ****It is in fact more graphic then **_**Holding on to You**_** so if you are underage or offended by sexuality, please do not read this.**

**Now that that is out of the way......................Enjoy!**

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"**Oh God! Oh honey, that's okay", Rachel said.**

"**What? Oh oh no you just rolled over the juice box", Ross replied with a slight chuckle.**

**Rachel laughed softly.**

"**Oh thank God!", she said relieved before she wrapped her arms around him again and kissed him. He laid down with her never breaking their passionate kisses. **

His hands were under her shirt, he could feel the softness of her skin against his fingertips.

'Hmmnh", Rachel moaned softly.

Ross smiled slightly against her mouth before he broke the kiss. Rachel opened her eyes and gazed at him. Her cheeks were flushed .

"Why'd you stop?", she said.

"I thought I heard something", Ross whispered. Rachel gave him a puzzled look and listened hard. Sure enough, they could hear the faint sounds of footsteps approaching the planetarium.

"Who's that?", Rachel whispered slightly panicked, "Shouldn't the museum be closed by now?'

Ross nodded, "It's probably just Henry from security. He's making his final round before closing everything off.

Rachel sat up quickly and straightened her clothes. Ross stood up and straightened his clothes as well before he reached down to help Rachel to her feet.

He took the rug with him as they left the planetarium. Ross locked the door behind him with the electric lock.

"Where's the bathroom? I want to wipe some of this juice off of me", Rachel said softly gazing up at him. Both were still slightly flushed and just thinking of what could've happened in the planetarium made Rachel blush even more.

"Uhm it is right behind the corner actually", Ross trailed off as he stared back at her. Slowly but surely they felt themselves being pulled into one another again.

"Hey Ross! What are you still doing here?", came a smooth voice from behind them.

Rachel and Ross quickly stepped apart before Ross turned to address the speaker.

"Hey Henry............I uh...................I need to return this rug to the display. Someone took it and placed it in the uh............well the wrong section. Probably a few kids joking around you know how it is", Ross said chucking nervously.

Rachel smiled slightly before pointing ahead of her.

"I'll be done in 5 minutes so we can go", she said walking towards the toilets.

Henry stood beside Ross.

"Well I'm done doing my rounds, I can wait for you to be ready to go..", he trailed off.

"No no that is okay, you go home Henry, I'll lock the main doors when we leave, its okay. I need to put this rug in the right spot, you know how......................precise I am about my displays!"

Henry laughed, "Yeah I know, okay just make sure you turn off the lights in that exhibition room before you leave and the main lights okay? I'll see you tomorrow!"

With that Henry turned around and walked away. Ross let out a sigh of relieve that Henry had been so gullible. He chuckled to himself as he absently stroked the rug in his hands.

"What are you smiling about?", Rachel said wrapping her arms around him from behind. Ross blushed.

"Oh it's nothing really", he said softly.

Rachel just gave him a look as she stood next to him.

"So uhm I need to put this away and then we can go home and uhm.."

"And what?", Rachel said grinning.

"and.........finish what we started?', Ross whispered seductively in her ear.

Rachel shivered sightly, "I'd like that", she admitted. She laced her fingers trough his as she followed him back to the cavemen display.

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As they entered the display, Ross let go of her hand and placed the rug on its rightful place. He noticed some other things that were out of place and figured he could fix those quickly too.

Rachel sat down on one of the fake rocks as she watched him rummage around with a smile on her face. Despite the fact that she and the others often made fun of Ross and his museum stuff, she couldn't help but admire the determination and passion she noticed whenever he was talking about his work. Or just right in this moment, the way he organized everything with such ease and enthusiasm, amazed her.

Ross looked over his shoulder and flashed her a small smile.

"I'll be done in a minute I promise", he said seriously.

"That's okay, I like watching you", Rachel said softly before she realized that she just said that out loud.

Ross raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Rachel smiled at him as she nodded.

Ross gave himself a mental high five before he resumed his work. He wanted to be done as soon as possible.

Rachel looked around, she had to admit that the display was charming in it;s own way. She stood up and walked to the other side of it looking through the glass window at the rest of the exhibition room. Her hand came in touch with something soft and she glanced down. It were several rugs, similar to the one Ross had taken to the planetarium. Her thoughts went back to that particular passionate moment. They'd shared some pretty amazing kisses in there. She licked her lips as she watched Ross' reflection in the glass.

Her heart was pounding, she was still aroused. As her fingers played with the soft furs of the rugs, a thought entered her mind. She scolded herself for thinking such...............naughty things but they were alone, it was worth a try. She turned towards Ross who was just coming over her, a lazy smile was around his lips and she thought to herself he'd never looked sexier.

"Are you ready to go?", Ross asked.

Rachel just stared at him for a few seconds before she replied,

"No", she whispered intense. She grabbed the front of his blouse and yanked him towards him while she turned around so that he was pressed up against the glass of the exhibition window.

Ross barely had time to register what was happening before she kissed him hard. Her hands gripped the fabric of his shirt tighter as she pressed herself up against him.

Ross moaned into the kiss, this was unexpected but very pleasant. He buried his hands in her hair as he deepened the kiss even more before he had to break it off in need of air. Both were panting as they regained their senses a little.

"Wow, what brought that on?", Ross said amazed.

"I want you now", Rachel said hoarsely.

"What here??, I mean uhm Rach I want you so bad right now too but....but", Ross stammered blushing bright red.

"Ross?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up!"

With that, Rachel wrapped her arms around him and continued the kiss. Ross sunk into it closing his eyes and wrapping his arms all around her. He slipped her jacket off her shoulders again and didn't waste time to get his hands under her shirt. He softly caressed her sides and stomach under her shirt. She sighed into the kiss as she too slid his coat and suit jacket of his shoulders. Her fingers fumbled with the small buttons on the front of his blouse.

Ross stole a few last nips and buried his face in her neck. He gently sucked on the sensitive skin behind her ear while he turned them around so that Rachel was against the window. He pressed her against it softly not wanting to hurt her. She pressed her body into his and sighed sweet nothings in his ear while her hands had managed to undo the first few buttons on his shirt.

"Oh God", she whispered when she felt his warm hands on her back, just tracing her spine up and down. She undid the last few buttons of his blouse and slid it off his shoulders. He was wearing a white cotton t-shirt under it and it annoyed her. She growled softly while her hands found the rim of his pants. She hastily pulled the shirt from his pants and slid her hands underneath it.

Ross chuckled softly.

"Impatient aren't we?", he teased as he helped her slide the shirt over his head. Rachel answered him by tossing the shirt away and kissing him while her hands stroked every inch of bare skin possible. She broke the kiss for a second to just look at him, she liked what she saw.

Ross continued their kiss, he slightly lifted her up and she responded by wrapping her legs around his waist. He moaned softly into her mouth as he stumbled backwards a few steps. When he reached his destination , he softly put her on her feet before wrapping his arms around her and taking her down with him to the floor without breaking their kiss. The settled on top of the rug, Rachel was in his lap straddling him and he was holding onto her tightly.

He loosened his grip on her to grab the hem of her top. Slowly he slid it up, making sure that he made contact with her skin while he did that. Rachel broke the kiss so he could slide her top over her head and toss it aside.

He kissed her bare shoulders and the nape of her neck. Her hands were on his shoulders, he could feel the light trembling of her fingers that dug into his skin. He reached behind her to undo the clasp of her bra. It gave him some difficulty at first but he undid it none the less. Slowly he slid the straps of her shoulders and arms. He tossed it aside and just gazed at her, she was perfect.

Rachel blushed under his intense stare, she felt nervous for some reason.

"You're beautiful", Ross whispered .

Rachel gave him a shy smile. She grabbed his hands and pressed them against her stomach.

"Less talk..", she whispered softly lacing her fingers with his as she slowly trailed up her stomach to her chest. She let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Ross sucked on her collarbone as he cupped her breasts in his hands. They fit perfectly. He gave them an experimental soft squeeze.

Rachel gasped, that had felt good.

"Do that again", she whispered. Ross happily obliged her and gave her several soft squeezes which made her moan softly. He gently rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, they hardened under his touch.

She arched into him, wanting to feel more of his experimenting hands on her chest. Ross trailed featherlight kisses over her shoulders and chest. He traced her stomach with one hand till he reached her pants button . He continued kissing all over her upper body while he undid the button with both of his hands. He left the zipper up, instead he encircled her waist and dipped his hands into her pants and gave her buttocks a squeeze.

Rachel involuntarily rocked her hips into him at his touch, the friction that movement caused made them both moan. Ross shivered at the sensation.

He continued caressing her butt, slowly but surely sliding her pants down her slender hips. She lifted herself up a bit so he could slide her pants down her legs where they pooled at her knees and wouldn't go further down because she was still straddling him.

Ross held her tightly to himself as he laid down on his back so she could stretch her legs out. He softly rolled them over so he could take her pants off for the remaining bit. Rachel felt very vulnerable, laying on her back practically naked. She felt her cheeks grow warmer with every second that passed. Ross smiled at her hovering above her, he was leaning on his elbows as he lowered himself on top of her.

She smiled back at him before she gave him a serious look.

"This is not very fair", she whispered seductively.

"What isn't?", Ross teased knowing exactly what she meant.

"You're wearing too much clothes still", she trailed off, to amplify her statement she reached in between them and undid the button and zipper on his pants. She could feel his excitement through the fabric of his boxers as she took his pants off. Ross kicked them off his feet. Now they were both in their underwear.

Ross dipped his head to plant a loving kiss on her lips.

Rachel bend one knee so he could lay down more comfortably between her legs.

"Ah", she moaned softly into the kiss as she arched her hips into him. Ross broke the kiss, hissing out her name. Her hips created a fantastic friction on him, he shivered slightly before he stilled her hips with his hands. Rachel protested by clutching his hands, trying to loosen his grip so she could move again.

"Rach......wait please", Ross whispered desperately as she managed to move just the slightest bit.

Rachel shook her head in protest. Ross closed his eyes and moaned hoarsely while she kept moving her hips into him. His hands were trembling, his grip loosened as he almost lost himself in the moment. He opened his eyes and quickly stilled her again, clutching her hips tighter this time as he sat up so that their bodies were barely touching.

"Ross", Rachel protested opening her eyes.

Ross just shot her a pleading look.

"Oh God, this is......Rach I need to be sure that you want this just as much as I do right now", Ross stammered.

Rachel gave him a look that clearly told him **What do YOU think?** . Ross chuckled softly as he stroke some of her hair out of her face.

"I know...uhm what I meant was........I don't think I can stop now, and we're not exactly in a.............ah private place and well", but Rachel silenced him by sitting up and kissing him on the lips hard.

"Didn't I say less talk?", she whispered, "I want you now, I don't care where we are . Right now I'm way to horny to even ponder on that Geller", with that she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and took him back down to the floor with her again.

Ross happily kissed her back while he reached behind him with his hand till he felt the fabric of his coat. He pulled at it, yanking it closer so he could get it. He broke the kiss and sat up to reach into the coat's pocket. He fished his wallet out and grabbed a tiny square package from it before tossing everything aside again resuming his kiss with Rachel.

"Protection", he whispered against her mouth as she gave him a half lidded questionable stare. She just nodded and closed her eyes again , losing herself in the magic of the moment. Ross' hands were all over her again and she loved it. She felt him hook his thumbs through the sides of the fabric of her panties. With one swift motion he took them off. Rachel blushed furiously in spite of her self but she shook it off. This was Ross, she wanted this, she needed this.

Ross caressed her softly while he sucked and nipped at her neck. She was squirming and whimpering under him, her arms were on his back. He could feel her shivering underneath him.

Rachel closed her eyes tightly. She was feeling so many things at once that it overwhelmed her. She moaned as she hugged Ross closer to her shivering body. He was doing magical things with his hands to her and she didn't know how much longer she could bare it.

"Please Ross, I need you now", she moaned loudly tugging at his boxers.

He arched his hips up so she could pull them off. When he laid down again he couldn't help but whisper her name lovingly, it felt so good to feel their naked bodies against each other. He'd imagined this moment so many times in his head, but all those fantasies faded instantly. This was so much better.

Rachel urged him on by arching her body into his.

"Wait!", Ross gasped, he took the condom that was beside them and teared the package. He quickly unrolled it onto himself. Then he lowered himself on top of her again.

He gently eased himself into her. The sensation was indescribable. Rachel reacted by hissing and wrapping her legs around him so he sunk even deeper intpo her.

Ross strained to control himself, she was so warm around him, it drove him crazy with lust.

"Oh God", he whispered amazed as he stilled himself,not daring to move yet afraid that it might undo him right then and there.

"I know", Rachel whispered with closed eyes. She caressed his shoulders and back lovingly. She opened her eyes to gaze up at him for a moment. She bucked her hips up against him. Ross moaned at that movement,his face screwed up in pleasure. Rachel smiled softly to herself as she repeated the movement.

Ross couldn't handle it anymore, feeling her arching up to him felt amazing , he began moving with her. Together they build up a slow steady rhythm that became more and more frantic each minute.

Ragged breaths and moans filled the exhibition room. Rachel clung to him tightly as she felt herself being rolled over. Now she was on top and Ross' hands were on her hips keeping her still as he rocked his hips into her. Rachel leaned her hands on his chest, she was trembling badly, she didn't know how much longer she could keep herself upright.

Ross stopped his movements and just gazed at her as he caressed her sides.

"Your turn", he said seductively,

Rachel smiled at him and kissed him softly, he was being so gentle and considerate with her. She didn't think anyone could be as soft and gentle as Ross was being to her. He amazed her.

She slowly started to roll her pelvis into him, this brought a whole new set of sensations with it. The sense of being the one in "charge" was overwhelming and it felt wonderful. She arched her head back in pleasure.

Ross just watched her, she looked so amazing on top of him and she felt tremendously good around him. Slowly he gripped her hips again and began to move in sync with her.

"Don't stop", Rachel moaned softly as she nearly collapsed on top of him, she was so close.

"Trust me I couldn't even if I wanted to", Ross hissed with closed eyes. He rolled them over again surprising Rachel for a moment. He gave her a reassuring kiss before he threaded his fingers through hers. She reached for his other hand and brought their joined hands above her head.

They continued moving in a frantic synchronized rhythm. Both were sweating and panting.

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut as waves of passion took her by surprised, she barely registered yelling out as she clung to Ross' trembling body on top of her.

Feeling her going over the edge did it for him, he squeezed her into him as he murmured her name over and over again, totally lost in the moment.

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Rachel opened her eyes, her cheeks were flushed deeply and her eyes were glazed over. Her chest was heaving as she tried to control her breathing.

Ross pulled out of her, moaning because he was still so sensitive. He regained his breath long enough to give her a long and loving kiss, before he collapsed beside her. She turned to her side facing him, their hands were still linked together and in between them. She wriggled one of her legs between his and just stared at him.

"Wow", she whispered amazed.

"I know', Ross said mimicking her from before.

She chuckled , she squeezed his hands softly, basking in the afterglow of the events that just took place. Ross kissed her hands softly.

She wiggled her body closer to his and wrapped her arms around his torso. He rolled onto his back so that she was half on top of him.

They both breathed slowly in and out, each thinking back at the wonderful moments they'd just shared. Ross felt her shiver slightly and saw goosebumps on her flushed skin. He reached over her and tugged at several rugs that laid beside them. He pulled the rugs over them, covering them up some what decently.

Rachel planted a soft kiss on his collarbone.

"I could stay like this forever", she whispered.

"Me too...............but we should probably go soon though, we can't spend the night here", Ross said with a chuckle.

"I know, just a little longer okay?", she pleaded softly closing her eyes.

'Okay", Ross agreed with a smile. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and squeezed her into him. He closed his eyes too, they could relax for a little while before they had to get up....

END!


	5. A Heart to Heart

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**5; A Heart to Heart.**

**A/n; Well , here is the fifth installment to LGOL. This one takes off right after the last RnR scene in TOW the Cooking Class, that conversation bothered me to no end. I felt like they should have a good conversation instead of the nonsense denial crapload of words they exchanged. This one was surprisingly hard to write though so I hope its okay!**

**This Ficlet is dedicated to DavidRoss on the FC Boards.**

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"**Uh Rach?", Ross said hesitant, she seemed to be thinking deeply of something.**

"**Yah?"**

"**The bathroom?", He replied with lifted eyebrows.**

"**Right!"**

Rachel turned around and walked away from the couch to go to the bathroom. Her mind was in jumbles after that conversation just minutes ago. She shook her head slightly, she was confused now. She knew Ross had been messing around earlier, she knew it and yet she had almost...no she couldn't think that way now could she?

She reached for the knob on the bathroom door, a frown appearing on her face as she was once again deep in thoughts. Suddenly she released the doorknob from her grip and turned back to the living room.

Peeing could wait, she had to figure something out first, she needed to have a serious talk with Ross.

She re-entered the living room with a frustrated sigh. Ross looked up from the magazine he was reading , he set it aside when he saw Rachel staring down at him with an expression that he couldn't quite read She seemed mad but confused at the same time.

"Uhm everything okay Rach?", he asked carefully. He figured she must've had one of her mood swings again, they kept coming and going more frequently lately.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me", she answered bluntly.

Ross lifted his eyebrows at her harsh reply but before he could answer her question she already shot another one at him.

"What are we doing?", she asked softly. Her voice was cracking. Stupid hormones! She cursed softly to herself.

Ross just stared at her with a confused look on his face, and a little concern too.

Rachel bit her lip as she looked back up at him. She shrugged her shoulders.

"What are we doing?", she asked again looking him straight in the eyes and pinning him with a fierce stare. Ross gulped.

"What are you talking about?", he replied.

Rachel let out a frustrated sigh as she threw her hands up in a gesture that clearly said "I don't really know"

"This, us everything!", she said.

"What about it?", he asked still a bit confused, although he began to suspect what this all was about and he didn't know if he liked it or not.

"You know what I am talking about Ross, don't play dumb with me", Rachel said, She walked past him and plopped down on the couch as best as she could. Ross remained standing and looked down at her.

" Ross we need to talk about this. I mean, just look at our situation for a moment here", she motioned for him to sit down next to her and he did. He grabbed her hands and gently stroke them with his thumbs.

"I know our situation is..............complicated.", Ross said seriously as he laid a hand on her stomach and rubbed it re-assuringly.

Rachel let out a small sigh.

"I'm not talking about the pregnancy, I'm talking about what happened just minutes ago. I'm talking about Us."

Ross swallowed uncomfortably. He had been dreading this, somehow he knew they'd end up having this conversation but that didn't mean he was ready for it.

"Rachel..", he said softly, "Are you sure you want to get into this now?"

"Yes", she simply answered him.

Ross let out a sigh and bit his lower lip nervously. He didn't know if he could handle this now. Sure he had teased her earlier, but that had just been jokes and fun right? She had done it to him too. It was nothing................no he couldn't lie to himself, it was everything. He hadn't said those things just like that. He liked to believe that he did but he knew better.

He still cared for her, so much but he was too afraid what might happen if he gave in to those feelings.

"Ross?", Rachel's soft voice shook him from his inner thoughts.

"What were you thinking about?", she asked .

Ross locked eyes with her for a moment.

"You", he answered honestly, "Us.....the truth"

Rachel cleared her throat, "Okay, and uhm what is the truth about...us?", she asked hesitant, not really sure if she would like to hear the answer to that question. She knew she was the one that brought this all up but that didn't mean she had to like what was coming. It coud go in every direction, for all she knew they could end up hurting each other again. She shook her head slightly and focused on Ross who staring at their joined hands.

"Ross?", she said anxiously.

"The truth is that I don't really know where we stand, where we are going and what I exactly feel for you now.", Ross said seriously as he squeezed her hands gently to calm his nerves.

"But I do know that I was not wholeheartedly messing around earlier.", he locked eyes with her again and kept looking at her.

"Okay uhm, since we are being honest, " She said softly breaking eye contact before she continued, "I wasn't really messing around with you either."

Ross couldn't help but chuckle a little, they sounded like two teenagers the way they were talking now.

Rachel blushed in spite of herself. She stared at the magazine Ross had been reading earlier, her fingers were still linked with his and she felt him squeeze her hands several times.

Rachel cleared her throat but no words came out. She didn't really know what to say now. She began replaying their conversation in her head. He'd said he didn't know what he exactly felt for her. Truth to be told she didn't really know herself what she felt for him still, although a little voice in her head told her otherwise.

She tried to ignore that little voice inside her head, like she'd been doing for a long long time now. But somehow something about this situation they were in now, and the honesty they were sharing made her want to listen to it just this once.

Biting her bottom lip in doubt she looked down at their linked hands. She didn't know why but suddenly she felt her eyes water as she teared up. A soft sob escaped her throat.

Ross looked at her with a concerned and puzzled look on his face. She was crying and he didn't know why. Maybe he'd said something to upset her, though he doubted that.

Rachel tried to stop the tears from coming but it was no use, once she started it was impossible to stop, part of that was to blame on the hormones that ran rampage inside of her since she was pregnant.

Ross didn't know what to say to her, instead he took her in his arms and embraced her , rubbing soothing circles on her back with his hands. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, he could feel her tears on his skin.

Rachel said something to him in between sobs but he didn't understand it because she was talking so softly.

"What?", he asked gently.

Rachel loosened her grip on him but didn't let go of him yet. Instead she just rested her head on his shoulder.

"I.....I still love you", she admitted louder so he could hear.

Ross stiffened , a shock literally went through his entire being. He had not expected that, he'd expected for her to tell him that she still cared for him , not love him. He couldn't believe it, part of him was ecstatic but another part of him was devastated to hear it and he couldn't really explain why that was.

Rachel sat up straight and untangled herself from him. She wiped at her eyes. The tears were finally slowing down. She watched Ross, he seemed to be struggling with something. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned back against the couch .

She'd said it, she finally listened to that little voice in her head, she should feel relieved now that that was out of the way, but she didn't. Ross' stiffening reaction scared her, it scared her more then anything and she dreaded the next words that surely would spill from his mouth anytime now.

Meanwhile, Ross was still coming to terms with her confession. He was in total disbelieve. He didn't know how to react to that. Did he love her still like she did him? He shook his head, who was he kidding. He loved her more then anything in the world and he would never stop loving her.

But now was just not the right time for them to.............be in that place again. Their situation was just too complicated and awkward.

He realized he'd been quiet for quite a while now. He hastily looked up at Rachel who was just staring ahead of herself. She was twiddling her thumbs, a habit he knew meant that she was nervous and anticipating his answer to her confession.

He gulped the lump in his throat.

"Rach", he said softly as he took hold of her hands again. Rachel didn't look up at him.

"Look at me Rachel, please?", Ross pleaded, he didn't want to hurt her feelings, he wanted to tell her how he felt and he would. But it would crush her, he was sure of it.

Rachel gave in and locked eyes with him, an almost frightened expression was on her face. Ross swallowed thickly.

"You don't know how much it means to me, to hear those words from you. And.........and I have to admit something to you, but I'm not sure if you're going to like it,", Ross stopped for a moment gathering up his courage to go on.

"I'll never stop loving you, I simply can't but I have to be rational here. We can't take this somewhere now. Our situation right now, it's too complicated and it scares me in many ways you'll never know. I wish it could be different..",

"Why can't it be?", Rachel interrupted him softly, although she already knew what his answer would be.

"Because were just not in that place now, we might think we are but we're not and you know it too", Ross said regretfully.

Rachel nodded her head. She understood what he was saying but it still hit her like a ton of bricks.

Ross brushed some strands of her hair out of her face.

"We should take it easy now, we have so much to deal with currently , with the baby coming and everything. I don't want to hurt your feelings but it is better this way."

"I know", Rachel said, " God! We have the worst timing relationship wise don't we?". She said with a small smile as she wiped away some fresh tears.

Ross nodded, also smiling slightly.

"I know we.....can't right now but..........", Rachel trailed off.

"We will try when we're both ready for it, when everything has calmed down a bit for us", Ross said finishing her sentence.

"We will", Rachel said

Ross nodded. Slowly he wrapped his arms around the woman before him and hugged her as tight as her body would let him to himself. He buried his nose in her hair and let out a sigh he had been holding in. Rachel returned his embrace. She was happy that they'd had this conversation, the air seemed to clear up little by little between them and some day they might be able to be in that place again and be happy together again.

She smiled to herself before frowning uncomfortable as she was once again reminded that she had to use the bathroom and fast if she didn't want to wet herself.

"Ross, let go, I really need the bathroom right now", she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh right!"Ross said as he hastily released her, he helped her up so she could go.

Rachel hurried to the bathroom, she turned back to him , sharing a smile with him before she entered the bathroom hurriedly.

Ross sunk down on the couch, that talk had drained him emotionally but he was happy that they finally started resolving some long running issues between them.

Smiling to himself he stood up and went into the kitchen to make some coffee, he figured they both could need a good cup of the stuff.

One day, they'd be able to step past the doubts and insecurities and be in that place again, but until that day came, he would always be by her side, supporting her and his child and caring for her, loving her like he always had.......................

END!

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**I apologize if this was way too dramatic or emotional or even out of character, but this is how I pictured a possible continuation. It might not end on the happiest term aka them getting together , but it does end a bit happy right? I just thought having them together would be too unrealistic now, I had the rest of the season in my head while revising this.**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**


	6. Strawberry

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**6; Strawberry Flavor.**

**A/n; Hellooooo! I am back with another ficlet! This one deals with the "kiss" incident of Ross and Rachel during High school. This one was fun to write, albeit a little difficult.**

**Inspired by the following quote; **

**Rachel; "Well that's a lot better then Ross trying to kiss me in high school, and saying that he did it because he needed chap stick.**

**Ross; "It was a ****dry**** day!"**

**Enjoy!**

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Ross Geller sighed as he put his study books aside. Studying was useless in this scorching heat. He laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. He still had those little glow in the dark stars up there. He really should get rid of those, he was almost a senior in high school and he doubt that any of his classmates still had them.

He sighed again as he lazily got up from his bed. Thankfully it was Saturday, he wouldn't know what he'd done if he had to be in a stuffed classroom right now with no air co whatsoever.

He went downstairs and grabbed a soda from the fridge. As he was about to go into the backyard, a knock sounded through the empty house. He raised his eyebrows slightly . Who could that be? His parents just left ten minutes ago to go grocery shopping and Monica was still across the street, babysitting one of their neighborhood kids.

He walked to the front door . He opened it and then his world stood still.

There at the door, was the girl of his dreams, Rachel Greene. She attended the same high school as him but was a grade lower and she was his sisters best friend.

"Uh Ross?", she said waving her hand in his face. That shook him from his thoughts.

"Rachel! Hi uhm what can I do for you?"

Rachel gave him a weird look before continuing, "I am looking for Monica, is she home yet?"

"No and I don't exactly know when she will be", Ross said taking a sip from his soda. In his mind he was repeating his mantra, '_**be cool be cool be cool!'**_

Oh okay well that is okay, I can wait for her here right?"', Rachel said with a smile.

"Sure!", Ross answered eagerly, he realized what he did and cleared his throat, "I mean, yeah that would be alright. What's with the duffel bag?"

"I'm sleeping over, Monica invited me to the cookout tonight", Rachel answered as she put her bag down on the sofa in the living room.

Ross gave her a nod, 'Okay, uhm would like to have a drink or something?"

"Nah that's okay,maybe later", she answered.

Ross blushed slightly when her shoulder brushed his arm when she walked past him to the backyard. He shook his head to clear his mind and went over something in his head as he sat down at the kitchen counter for a moment, he was in fact alone with Rachel Greene in his home. He considered himself very lucky.

He looked through the open door at Rachel who was sitting in one of the big comfy garden chairs. God she was perfect! Her golden blond hair swayed ever so slightly in the slight breeze. She was wearing white shorts and a light green halter top. Which suited her perfectly.

Ross didn't know why he suddenly had begun to see her in a different light but he had. Ever since ninth grade Typing she had turned his world upside down. He still found it strange because he had known her practically his whole life.

He stood up and paced the kitchen floor. He wanted to join her in the garden but he wasn't sure if that was a great idea, she made him nervous. He was afraid he'd do something silly and he didn't need that right now.

He gathered his courage and gave himself a small pep talk before he took his soda with him and walked outside. He sat across from her in an other chair and smiled at her. She smiled back and that made his heart flutter in his chest and his cheeks felt suspiciously hot.

"Great day for a cookout huh?", he said, he mentally kicked himself for saying something so........lame.

"Sure", Rachel said. She played with a few strands of her hair. Ross hurriedly took another sip of his soda when he realized he started staring at her.

"Ross, can I ask you something?"

"Yes you can", Ross replied smiling slightly, hoping that she didn't see his blushing cheeks or hear the slight tremble in his voice. His hands were sweaty and not just from the hot weather outside.

"Okay, can you help me with something?"

Ross nodded, "Uhm sure, with what?"

"Math"

Ross lifted his eyebrows, "Math?",

Rachel sighed as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Yes Math, I'm failing big time and Monica says that you are really good at it so I thought that you could help me? You know like giving me some tips and stuff. You could teach me or something"

Ross mulled this one over, this was good! She wanted him to teach her Math so she wouldn't fail, which meant that they'd have to spend some time together.....alone! This was more then good this was perfect! He gave himself a mental high five.

Rachel looked at Ross' smiling face, he was a weird one. He was Monica's older brother but he was strange and kind of geeky too. But she hoped that he would help her.

"Uhm I think that could be arranged", Ross said seriously.

"Really? Great!", Rachel exclaimed happily.

Ross grinned softly to himself, already looking forward to their little learning sessions together. He stood up to get another soda from the kitchen.

Rachel followed him inside, having had enough of the sun for now. She sat at the kitchen counter observing Ross.

"Would you like that drink now?", Ross asked, her staring made him nervous again and a little self conscious..

"Yeah some juice would be good", Rachel said absent mindly as she grabbed a magazine that was spread out on the counter. It was a cooking glossy, no doubt it belonged to her best friend.

Ross handed her a glass of OJ and sat across from her on the other side of the counter. He observed her out of the corner of his eyes as he too picked up a magazine that was nearby. It was one of his National Geographic mags. He pretended to be reading but he was watching her instead.

Rachel however didn't notice that as she had picked up another magazine, it was one that dealt with the lives and gossip of celebrities so she was absorbed in her reading.

Ross blushed as he saw her lick her lips and frowning. She reached into her pocket and took out a little chapstick. Ross watched on intently as she laid the magazine down to apply the stuff on her lips.

It was as if everything happened in slow motion, she unscrewed the cap from the stick and turned it up. Then she slowly applied the substance to her mouth. Ross licked his own lips in anticipation. What a sight!

She rubbed her lips together to spread the Vaseline like substance evenly. Ross was hypnotized by the little movement, his head became clouded with all sorts of thoughts. He bit his underlip slightly, oh what he would give to kiss her right now! Involuntarily he slowly started to lean over the counter, closer to Rachel.

Rachel wiped some of the chapstick from the corners of her mouth,she slightly licked her lips tasting the flavor of the substance on her lips. Strawberry was her favorite. She screwed the cap back on the little stick and set it aside.

That's when she noticed Ross' face just inches from hers. She blushed in spite of her self at his intense stare. His eyes were fixated on her.

"What are you doing R..hmmpf!", she had barely time to register what happened as she felt Ross' lips lightly touch hers. She went rigid with shock before she came to her senses.

She pushed him away rather harshly.

"What are you doing?!", she said stunned and in disbelieve.

"Huh?", Ross said dumbly. Then realization kicked in and he blushed beet red..

Rachel just gave him a questioning look that clearly stated she wanted some answers.

"Uh....................I uh...............I needed chapstick too!!", he said hastily before he practically jumped up and ran from the kitchen.

Rachel blinked a few times as she watched him go. What was that all about? Much time to think about it wasn't something she had for Monica walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Rachel, you're already here?", she said surprised, then a worried look came over her features.

"What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost or something", Monica joked poking her friend in the shoulder.

"I don't know", Rachel stammered. Monica lifted her eyebrows before she dragged her friend out of the kitchen.

"Have you been in the sun too long?! Come on I wanna show you something, I got a new stereo set!", she said happily dragging Rachel up to her room.

Meanwhile, Ross was literally banging his head into the wall of his room.

"Stupid stupid stupid!", he cursed to himself over and over again, he began to feel dizzy though so he just plopped down on his bed. He touched his fingers to his mouth, he couldn't help but smile at what just had transpired.

It had been very short and very light, just a touch of the lips actually before she had roughly pushed him away but to him, it had seemed as if the world had stopped spinning. He'd taken in every detail in that very short amount of time. How soft her lips had been and how warn and good they'd felt on his.

He sighed softly to himself, he had to apologize to her somehow, she must have been shocked. He stood up and paced the room thinking of things he could say to apologize to her.

He could say that the heat had gotten to him, or that he'd been in the sun too long. But that really didn't explain his blurted out exclamation of needing chapstick too. He frowned to himself before a smile replaced it.

"I'll just say it is a dry day!", he said proudly to himself, part of him knew that was a lame excuse but hey anything was better then telling her the truth!

He licked his lips, the taste of strawberries still lingered there. He decided that from now on that was his favorite flavor..

End!

Thank you for reading!


	7. TOW The Tiny Tshirt

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**7; TOW The Tiny T-shirt.**

**A/n; This is the 7****th**** ficlet in my little series. It's still going strong and that makes me happy. This one deals with the episode TOW The Tiny T-shirt and it follows both Ross and Rachel's thoughts on the matter, basically i've kind of dissected the episode. Confused? Read on and you'll know what i mean.**

**Enjoy!**

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He opened the door to his apartment and slammed it shut behind him as he threw his keys on the kitchen counter. He was angry and upset and it didn't really help that people had been laughing at him on the way over to his own place. He put the box of his stuff on the table before he forcefully pulled the white Frankie say relax T-shirt over his head tossing it to a corner of the living room angrily.

He put his sweater back on.

Biting his bottom lip , he tried to stop the tears that misted in his eyes. He sat down on the couch and just stared ahead of him. He didn't know what to think right now, all he knew was that he was hurting and upset by her actions. He eyed the t-shirt on the floor, anger filled his being.

She had said she loved that t-shirt....................he shook his head. Why would he feel guilty for taking it back? He shouldn't, it was his shirt in the first place. He knew he wouldn't be wearing it but just knowing that he had taken something from her that she treasured made him feel just a little better. He knew he was being childish about it but he didn't care.

He took the box and rummaged through the stuff that was in it. With a sigh he set it aside again.

She wanted to move on, it was really over now. He somehow always remained a little hopeful that they'd work all of the stuff that hung between them out but that was clearly not what she had in mind.

He wiped at his eyes, the tears had found their way out. He stood up and walked over to the spot where the t-shirt was in crumples on the floor. He picked it up. He brought it up to his nose and inhaled deeply, her scent was lingering on the fabric. He sat back down again and just hugged the shirt close to him. At least he had this little fragment of her still with him...

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Rachel watched him leave, she watched him leave and didn't try to stop him, he obviously was angry at her. Part of her could understand that. But he didn't know that this was hard on her too.

She sighed as she walked up to the door and closed it softly, she leaned against it rubbing her forehead tiredly.

She hated him for taking that t-shirt with him, she loved that t-shirt. It was comfortable, comforting and fitting. But the main reason she loved it, was because it was his. It reminded her of the good times they'd shared and it had comforted her in the hard days after their painful break-up. She hated to admit it but she missed him and that t-shirt had made her miss him just a little less.

But now it was gone, together with him and she didn't like it. She sighed softly to herself as she thought back at the little argument they just had . It was silly, Ross had been so childish about that stupid t-shirt. She knew that he had done that purely out of spite. She felt herself get angry again. Well two could play at that game....

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A few days had passed and Ross still felt miserable. But he tried not to think about her too much. He'd spend the day with Chandler which had been kind of fun, Chandler was telling him about his hair, how he had a spot that always stood up straight no matter how much gel he put on it.

They were about to reach Chandlers apartment when the door to Monica's apartment opened. Rachel walked out and looked at him for a split second before Mark came through the door and closed it behind him, She hurriedly pushed past them and Mark followed. Ross just stared at him, his heart was literally breaking in a million pieces again, she was really moving on.

"Is there any change you didn't see that?", Chandler asked carefully.

Ross just looked down at the floor and followed Chandler inside.

Some time later, Ross was staring through the little peephole of Chandlers door, Rachel was in the hallway with Mark. He watched her go into the apartment and he watched Mark follow her in. He went literally insane , wanting to go over and borrow juice just to stop them from doing God knows what. He'd always known that she liked that Mark. Chandler tried to stop him and succeeded. He made it clear to Ross that he and Rachel were really over.

Ross gave it up.

"I know", he said defeated; "But I just miss her so much".

Chandler let go of him. Ross grabbed his coat .

"I'm going home", he said miserably. He left Chandlers apartment, for a moment he just stared at Monica and Rachel's door. Then he shook his head and left. Chandler watched him go with a worried expression on his face..~

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Rachel stared at Mark for a moment, he'd just kissed her and she hadn't really liked it. She felt guilty, she knew she didn't have to but she did. Maybe it was because she was just trying to get back at Ross . She sighed and explained the situation to Mark, this was not fair to the both of them and she knew it. She wasn't ready to move on yet. She'd claimed she was but that had been a lie.

Mark seemed to understand what she was saying but she could still sense that he was a little hurt by her actions. It made her feel even worse about herself then she already did.

When Mark left, she went straight to her room and changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants before she laid down on the bed. She sighed softly to herself as her thoughts drifted back to that moment in the hallway.

She didn't really know why but she had been shocked when she saw Chandler and Ross. The devastated look on his face had told her everything and she just had pushed her way past them, not knowing how to deal with the situation.

She sighed to herself as she drifted off to sleep, this situation wasn't getting any easier...

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Ross hugged the t-shirt close to him one more time before he put it back in the box. He would give it back to her, he didn't fit it anyway. Besides he could be the bigger person here and now. It seemed that she really had moved on, so he figured that he should try and do that too. And that meant no more childish games over something as silly as a shirt.

He glanced at it for the last time before he closed the box. That shirt had comforted him somehow in the past few days. He'd held it in his hands so many times and just inhaled her scent from it so much, it had been as if she had been there with him.

He took his keys and the box and left his apartment, he would drop the box off at Monica's before work.

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Rachel opened the door to her apartment and sighed, it had been a busy day at work. Monica greeted her, asking how work had been.

"By the way, Ross dropped by a box of your stuff ", she said.

Rachel nodded saying that she had that one coming. She expected some shampoo bottles and perfumes as she opened the box. Instead she found only one item, the Frankie say Relax t-shirt was folded on the bottom of the box.

She grabbed it, stunned and surprised that he'd given it back to her.

"Something wrong?", Monica asked worried when Rachel had become very quiet of a sudden.

Rachel just stared at the t-shirt, a slight smile on her face. She hugged it to her chest.

"No nothing", she said softly as she walked into her room.

She softly closed the door behind her. She leaned against it and brought the shirt up to her face. She couldn't believe he had given it back to her. She closed her eyes as a silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"Thank you", she whispered softly into the soft white fabric...

END

Thank you for reading!


	8. Play Date

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**8; Playdate.**

**A/n; Hello! Welcome to the 8****th**** installment of LGOL! This ficlet is a "bonus" scene to TOW All the Jealousy. Basically, this event happens after Ross comes home to Rachel after his playdate with the stripper from the party he attended with Chandler. Ross is about to get lucky hahah. **

**You might've guessed it, here is the warning beforehand: **

**This ficlet is rated R/MA, in other words it deals with adult situations and descriptions of a sexual matter. If you are underage or offended by that, do not read this chapter!**

**Secondly, I am sorry but this is a LOOOOOOOONG read again this time it is over 4000 words O_O.**

**Dedication; Mitali and Joanna this one is for YOU! Thanks for the inspiration you two always give me. You're going to like the song I picked "winks". I didn't use all the lyrics though, just parts of them.**

_**Italics and Bold text = Songlyrics!.**_

**Onwards! And Enjoy!**

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"Hey!", Ross greeted the gang as he walked into Monica's apartment. They just raised their hands up in a form of greeting since they were absorbed in the TV.

"Okay..", Ross said raising his eyebrows. He grabbed a soda from the fridge and joined them.

"Hey sweety", Rachel greeted him as she made room for him on the comfy chair she was seated on so he could cuddle up next to her. Ross brushed her hair out of her face and lightly kissed the corner of her mouth.

"So how was your play date with the stripper mom?", She tried to say it nonchalantly but Ross didn't miss the hint of annoyance in her voice. He smiled to himself, it was endearing to see her trying to act as though she wasn't jealous at all.

"Whoa hold on, you had a play date with a stripper??",Joey and Phoebe said simultaneously.

"Oh NOW everybody is all ears", Ross said sarcastically.

Monica just gave him a look , "Care to share?", she said grinning. Everybody stared at him including Rachel.

"It was nothing", Ross said a little uncomfortable under all the stares.

"We just took the kids to a Jamboree class that's all, Ben really enjoyed it"

"I bet he wasn't the only one who enjoyed it huh", Joey said softly as he grinned at Chandler and poked him in the shoulder.

Monica and Phoebe rolled their eyes. Monica stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Phoebe stood up also, "I'm taking off you guys".

She took her belongings and walked out of the door.

"Okay, who is staying over for dinner?", Monica asked. Joey and Chandler raised their hands .

"Ross?"

"I think we are going to eat out, don't we Rach", he said.

Rachel nodded, "Sounds like a plan, let me get my things", she stood up and disappeared into her room.

Once she was in there and he was positive she wouldn't hear them all to clearly, Joey punched Ross' shoulder playfully.

"So now be honest! How was it?"

Ross rolled his eyes, "Joey, i just went to that class with the stripper because she has a boy of Ben's age."

Joey raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?", he said grinning.

"Would you please grow up?", Ross said. He stood up to get his and Rachel's coat.

"Geesh ask the guy a question and..", Joey said raising his hands. Chandler just gave him a look.

"Ready to go", Rachel said emerging from her room. She had fixed her hair up in an elegant bun and was dressed in a black skirt that showed of her legs nicely and a white blouse. To top it of she wore black boots.

Ross smiled as he took her bag from her.

"What's this?", he asked curious.

Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her nose with hers..

"I just thought I'd stay over at your place tonight", She whispered . Ross blushed slightly as he nodded.

"Good thinking", he said softly before he gently kissed her. He handed her the coat and they bid their goodbyes to Monica and the guys.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The door to his apartment opened and they stumbled in, locked in a passionate kiss. Ross kicked the door shut with his foot never wanting the moment to end. It just felt so good to have her in his arms and return his passion so fiercely.

Eventually, they had to break for air. Slightly panting, Rachel smiled up at him before she took her bag from his hands.

"I'm going to put this away", She said. Ross nodded and let go of her. He walked into the kitchen and got a bottle of wine and two glasses. He put the glasses on the table and poured the wine into them before he took a seat on his couch. He stretched comfortably, life was good for him right now. He smiled to himself, no life was perfect for him right now. Some days he still couldn't believe that he was with Rachel the girl of his dreams and who he he'd crushed on since ninth grade.

"Honey?", came Rachel's voice from his bedroom. Ross turned his head.

"Yeah?"

Rachel walked over to him with a serious expression on her face. She sat next to him on the couch. He automatically wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her into him for a moment.

"I forgot my blow dryer at Monica's, will you get it for me please?", she said sticking out her bottom lip and giving him her best puppy dog eyes look she could muster. Ross just melted on the inside.

"You're not really being fair, you know I can't resist you anything when you do that!", Ross whined playfully, "I'll go get it for you right now"

"Thank you, love you", Rachel said with smile.

"Yeah yeah", Ross said smiling too before he got up and left his apartment.

The minute he was gone, Rachel got busy. She grabbed her bag from Ross' room and took out little round candles and matches. She placed the candles all over the living room, they were scented and spread a mild vanilla scent. Then she grabbed a CD from her CD case and popped it in the stereo. She skipped to the appropriate song and put it on hold. Next she went into his room and got undressed quickly before she hopped in the shower for a 5 minute cleansing. She hurriedly dried herself off and put on a clean set of underwear that she knew Ross liked. Then she dressed herself in a long black dress , that was buttoned down over the entire front from top to bottom but her back was bare for the most of it. It reached to her calf's.. She left the top three buttons open. She put on some high heels and looked herself over in the mirror. She liked what she saw.

She put her hair up with a loose clip and applied a thin layer of lipstick on her lips and some light eyeshadow on her eyelids. There! She was done. And right in time too for she heard Ross open the door.

Ross stepped into the apartment not believing what he saw. The lights were of, instead the living room was bathed in the soft yellow glow that came from the many candles that were spread all over the place. The slight scent of vanilla caught him by surprise. He couldn't help but smile to himself, no doubt he'd be having some fun tonight.

"Rach?", he called out . He left the bag with the blow dryer on the floor by the door.

"I'll be right out", she replied.

Ross shrugged and made himself comfortable on the couch again, he took a sip from the wine he had poured before he left. He wondered what Rachel was up to.

He leaned back into the couch and put his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes for a moment.

Suddenly the stereo began to play, soft music began to fill the room as two small hands covered his eyes which he was about to open.

"I have a surprise for you", a soft hoarse voice slowly whispered in his ear. He shivered involuntarily.

"Oh really?", he whispered back.

Rachel answered him by tilting his head back so she could plant a slow kiss on his mouth while she still had her hands in front of his eyes practically blinding him.

"Hmm mm really", she whispered against his lips. She let go of his face and Ross was about to open his eyes again when he found himself blindfolded.

"Huh?", he said surprised. Rachel just grinned.

She walked over to the stereo and turned the volume up a notch. Ross could now hear the song that was playing properly and that excited him.

_**I know I may come off quiet, I may come off shy.  
But I feel like talking, feel like dancing when I see this guy.**_

Ross felt her take off the blindfold, he had to blink a few times before he focused on the woman that stood before him in an amazing black dress and high heels.

"Hey you", he said softly as he watched her sway her hips to the music before his very eyes. He put two and two together and gave her a look of disbelieve.

"Are you going tohmmpf", he was silenced by her lips on his, when she parted from him she smiled seductively.

"No more talking just enjoy the show", she said huskily.

She looked him deeply in his eyes as she continued to sway her hips to the sensual beats of the song. She slowly ran her hands all over herself as she licked her lips seductively. She winked at him while she undid the clip in her hair. Shaking her head slightly, it fell down in luscious waves to her shoulders, she ran her hands through her hair arching her head back with a slow soft throaty moan.

_**I'm a slave for you. I cannot hold it; I cannot control it.  
I'm a slave for you. I won't deny it; I'm not trying to hide it. **_

Ross gazed at the beautiful dancing woman before his very eyes, he could not keep his eyes off of her as she seductively moved her body to the music. He watched her reach for the buttons on the front of her dress. Anticipation filled his being as he watched her undo one of the first buttons deliberately slow while she never took her eyes off of him or stopped moving. She gave him a little knowing smile as she unbuttoned the next one just as slow. Then she suddenly ran her hands down the sides of her body gripping the rim of the dress and slowly pulling it up inch by inch, revealing more and more of her long legs. When she reached her thighs however she dropped the fabric hiding her legs from his view again.

Ross groaned softly, she was being such a tease.

Rachel smiled inwardly at his reaction, this wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought it would be, in fact she was quite getting into it. Bending over she grabbed hold of Ross' chin and placed a light kiss on his mouth. She kept her position as she unbuttoned a few more buttons.

Ross drunkly tried to focus on her gorgeous blue eyes but found that kind of hard to do when she let him see into her dress so deliberately.

Rachel stood up straight and caressed the sides of his face for a moment before she danced away from him again. She swayed her butt from side to side giving him a sultry look from over her shoulder. Her hands were above her head, she held her hair up between her fingers which she slowly dropped so that it flowed all over her bare back again.

Ross licked his lips slowly, this was turning him on so bad, he didn't know how long he could stay seated with her just out of arms reach of him.

Rachel turned to face him, she walked up to him rocking her hips and swaying her body while she undid more buttons on her dress. Ross could see a hint of her lingerie through the open fabric. She stood before him and took hold of his hands.

_**Baby, don't you wanna, dance upon me,  
(I just wanna dance next to you)  
To another time and place.  
Baby, don't you wanna, dance upon me,  
(Are you ready)  
Leaving behind my name, my age.  
(Lets go) **_

She pushed his hands to her stomach while she kept dancing to the music.

"Unbutton the rest?", she whispered as she reached up and tangled her fingers in her hair, playing with the smooth strands. Ross just gazed up at her, locking his eyes with hers as he proceeded to do his task.

He slowly unbuttoned the rest of her dress revealing more and more of the woman he loved so dearly. When the dress was opened completely, he encircled her waist with his arms and planted a kiss on the tiny strip of naked skin that showed through her underwear.

Rachel slowly let the dress fall from her shoulders where it pooled at her feet.

She was wearing a black see through singlet with spaghetti straps, he could see her black bra through it and a black hipster that was laced on the sides. Ross shivered, she wore his favorite lingerie set and it turned him on even more. He wanted to touch her all over and started to do just that when she took hold of his hands and pushed them away.

_**(Like that)  
(You like it)  
(Now watch me)  
**_

She wagged her finger at him with a slight smirk.

"No touching until I say so", she said. She ran her hands over the front of her body, slipping them under the see through fabric of her singlet. She played with the fabric, letting it roll up to reveal her naked stomach before she covered everything up again. She turned away from him and bend over, trailing a slow trail up from her ankle to her thighs, she placed her hands on her hips, she slowly moved them around as she turned to face him again.

Ross was drunk, he was drunk on the essence that was Rachel. His hands just itched to touch her, he itched to kiss her all over and to just hold her close to him. He swallowed, his throat had become dry.

Rachel smirked sensing his discomfort.

_**I really wanna dance, tonight with you.  
(I just can't help myself)  
I really wanna do what you want me to.  
(I just feel I let myself go)**_

_**I really wanna dance, tonight with you.  
(Wanna see you move)  
I really wanna do what you want me to.  
(Uh Uh Uh) **_

She walked up to him and grabbed a hold of his hands again but this time she pulled him up so he was standing up. Ross gave a surprised look as she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her body into him, grinding against him in a slow torturous pace.

Ross decided to pay along in this little seducing dance of hers and rolled his hips into hers to the beat of the song. .

He buried his face in her hair and sniffed it, oh how he loved her smell, it drove him crazy. He felt her hands on his hip keeping him from moving. He could easily escape from her grip but he decided not to just to see what she wanted to do now.

She planted a open mouthed kiss in his neck before turning her back to him. She took his arms and wrapped them around her waist while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers played with his neck hairs as she rubbed her butt into his front.

Ross let out a throaty moan, this felt really good. He planted soft wet kisses behind her ear every once in a while licking her earlobe.

Rachel closed her eyes as she was lost in the rhythm of the soft music and the sway of both their bodies perfectly in sync. She felt Ross' fingers sliding under the fabric of her singlet and caressing her stomach. His hands trailed up to her chest where they softly cupped her breasts lightly. She sighed pleasantly.

_**I'm a slave for you. (Take that) I cannot hold it; I cannot control it.  
I'm a slave (It just feels right) for you. (It just feels good)  
I won't deny it; I'm not trying to hide it. (Baby) **_

She couldn't handle it anymore, she untangled herself from him and turned to face him, she slowly but surely pushed him back till his knees hit the couch.

Ross plopped down on the couch totally taken by surprise as she settled on his lap, straddling him. She kissed him hard and forcefully while she gripped his hair tightly in her hands tugging at it slightly so that his head was titled backwards..

Rachel broke the kiss and sat up straight, she was still moving the beat of the soon to be ending song. She took the hem of the singlet in her hands and played with the fabric teasingly before she slowly slid it up and over her head.

Ross licked his lips, she was breathtaking as she sat on top of him in just her bra and hipster. He kneaded her thighs with his hands softly.

"God, I want you", he whispered intense.

Rachel gave him a half smile.

"You got me", she answered him back. She took the rim of his sweater in her hands and took it off along with the shirt that he wore underneath. She slid her hands all over his torso as she trailed little wet kisses down his shoulders. She gave him a lustful stare as she bit her bottom lip softly. She tickled his stomach till she reached the button of his jeans.

She undid it and pulled his zipper down never breaking eye contact with him. Ross bit his lip now too, trying to focus on her eyes but it was kind of hard when her teasing hands were inside his jeans stroking him through the fabric of his boxers.

"You little tease", he moaned out then he smirked. Two could pay at that game. He trailed his hands up her back while planting soft kisses on her collarbone. He quickly unclasped the clasp of her bra and slid it of her shoulders, Once her chest was free from the fabric he kissed his way down to the valley in between her breasts. His hands gently needed the soft flesh, ever so often teasing her by rubbing her nipples.

Rachel arched her head back in pleasure, but she never stopped her movements on him.

"Oh Rossss", she moaned softly which made him chuckle.

The song ended and another one came on but neither of them seemed to notice it as they were too absorbed into each other to really notice anything.

Ross loved how the soft candlelight played with the contours of her swaying body, her hair was in her face as she bend down to kiss him again and again. He softly pushed the golden strands behind her ears so he could see her face when they parted from their kissing.

She stopped her stroking on him, he groaned in protest. It had felt so amazing.

"Don't stop", he breathed hoarsely. Rachel just chuckled but she didn't put her hands on him again, instead she untangled herself from his grip and stood before him. Ross desperately reached out to her, a pleading look in his eyes.

Rachel took a step closer to him but she stayed out of his reach just barely. She slowly slid her hands over her upper body, touching herself in the most seductive sense of the word. She caught the rhythm of the new song that played and just swayed along to the melody.

Ross swallowed thickly, she was killing him and God forbid she knew it too! He watched her hook her thumbs through the fabric of the hipster she wore. He was in total trance as his eyes fixated on her hands that were busy taking of the last piece of clothing she had on. She slid the undergarment slowly down her legs before she kicked it off. There she stood in all her naked glory , the only thing she wore were the black high heels. Ross just looked her up and down before he focused on her slightly blushing face.

Rachel winked at him as she motioned for him to come to her with her finger.

Ross did not need to think twice. He stood up, his open jeans slid down his legs and pooled at his feet making walking a bit of a trouble so he kicked them off. He swooped her up in his arms and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist kicking her heels off in the process.

"Bedroom", Ross whispered intensely stumbling backwards as he returned her passionate open mouthed kisses. When he reached the room he blindly grabbed into one of the open drawers by the bed to get a condom before he just plopped down on the bed taking Rachel with him. She hastily took his boxers off before laying on top of him.

Ross felt a sense of urgency in her frantic touches and he couldn't deny the passion that was certainly coming over them

"Hmmnh", he moaned into a hot kiss as he wrapped his arms around her squeezing her body into his. He caressed her back and butt, softly kneading her smooth and slightly sweaty skin.

Rachel loved his touch on her, she loved the way his hands kneaded her soft skin or how his fingers would play with the strands of her hair. She loved the taste of his kisses, she could never get enough of him. She bucked her hips into him, creating a hot friction that made her moan out loud.

Ross closed his eyes for a moment, his mind was fogged in a haze of pleasure. He responded to her moans with little noises of his own. He felt her reach over him to grab the condom from his hand. He felt her kiss him softly before her body left his as she sat up.

Rachel trailed his chest and stomach with her nails, slowly going lower and lower until she enclosed her hand around him. She gave a few experimental strokes and watched his face scrunch up in pleasure. As much as she wanted to just watch him as she pleasured him, she knew she didn't have the patience for it. She took the condom and rolled it over his length before she positioned herself over him.

The moment their bodies became one, they both gasped out at the tremendous feelings that enveloped them. They rocked their sweaty bodies into each other while their hands kept exploring , rubbing kneading and scratching onto the other's sweaty skin.

Rachel whimpered softly as she fastened her pace. Ross kept his hips still and curled his hands around her hips. He just watched her as she rolled her body into his slumping sightly forward so that her face was partly shielded by her hair.

He loved watching her, she was so beautiful when she was flustered like she was now. The sounds she made was like music to his ears. She leaned on her hands that were positioned on his chest as she locked eyes with him for a moment.

"I love you", she breathed before she collapsed and went over the edge, her body trembled heavily on top of him, he held her tightly as he too found release, he kissed her open mouth passionately pouring every feeling possible into it. His fingers flexed uncontrollably on her back and tremors of pleasure washed over him.

Rachel sighed softly as she returned his passionate kisses in the heat of the moment. She broke away and gasped for air as she laid down on his chest completely out of breath.

Ross blinked, he literally had seen stars just a moment ago. He wrapped his arms tighter around the woman on top of him whispering words of admiration and love in her ear. Rachel chuckled slightly as she regained her normal breathing.

Ross smiled at her when she locked eyes with him again.

"That was................................wild", he said grinning. Rachel playfully rubbed her nose against his.

"It was", she said softly.

"So what brought this on?", Ross asked curiously. Rachel blushed in spite of herself. She looked away from his piercing eyes as she mumbled something.

"What was that?", Ross said as he stroked her hair lovingly. Rachel let out a small sigh and blushed deeper.

"You were right, I guess I was jealous of you............going on a play date with that stripper mom", she admitted burying her face into his neck shyly.

Ross had to smile at her sudden display of bashfulness.

"Aw sweety, that is okay", he teased her tickling her sides.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh softly, "Stop it!", she said in between chuckles.

"But you know what?", Ross said thoughtful.

Rachel looked up at him for a moment before she laid back down again nuzzling his neck affectionately.

"What?", she asked curious when Ross didn't seem to continue his sentence.

Ross kissed her forehead, "You're one hell of a stripper!", he said softly.

Rachel smiled to herself despite the blush that crept upon her cheeks again. She punched his shoulder playfully.

"Yeah well don't get used to it mister", she chuckled. Ross gave her his best puppy dog eyes imitation but unlike him Rachel was able to resist that easily.

"That's not working on me and you know it", she said

"Damn!"

She just kissed him softly before rolling off of him, as she stood by the bed she reached out for him.

"Take a shower with me?", she asked giving him her famous puppy dog eyed look again.

"You know I can't resist that!", Ross said taking her hand.......................

END!


	9. Unable to Resist

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**9; Unable to Resist.**

**A/N; Hello! Welcome to the 9****th**** ficlet! This one deals with TOW The Chick and the Duck. I do not like how they end things with Ross and Rachel after all those cute little scenes and the fact that Ross gives up a change to be on TV for her. After that staring match, I was sure something was about to happen but it didn't so I took it on myself to alter the scene to my and I'm sure your liking as well. I'm starting this one with that scene so that is in bold.**

**Enjoy!**

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"**What thing? What is this thing?".**

"**Ah I was kinda supposed to be on TV tonight for the Discovery Channel", Ross replied **

**Rachel gave him a look of disbelieve, "Oh my God. Ross?, Why didn't you tell me that?"**

**Ross just shrugged a bit, "Cuz I knew that if I told you, you'd make me go and I know you needed someone to be with you tonight.", he grabbed her hand and started walking with her again. **

"**Come on......Cooome on"**

"**I cannot believe you", Rachel said shaking her head.**

"**What?"**

"**That is the sweetest thing, I...I Just", she let out a sigh and just stared at him. Ross stared back for what seemed like minutes but was just only seconds. But in those few seconds, he could definitely feel something between them, There was a certain tension that hung between them and it wasn't the bad kind. He took a breath and broke eye contact for just a moment.**

"**You should get some sleep", he said.**

"**Okay"**

"**So I'll uhm", Ross started but was interrupted by Rachel.**

"**I'm sorry I spoiled your evening"**

"**No that's ...no as long as you're okay", Ross chuckled , "So I'll uh I'll see you tomorrow"**

"**Yeah", Rachel replied turning around to see him open the door. **

He glanced back at her and just stood still in the door opening. Rachel stared back at him. She didn't know why but suddenly she just didn't want him to leave just yet.

Ross licked his lips slightly as he kept staring at her standing in the middle of the room, supporting her sore side with her hands.

He wanted to just shut the door and leave, but he found himself unable to move.

He missed her, he missed her so much . That moment they just shared, meant everything to him. He had wanted to lean in and kiss her so badly right then and there but he knew he couldn't.

But seeing her stand there just looking at him with those piercing blue eyes of hers got him paralyzed. He didn't know what to do.

Rachel couldn't break free from his gaze, she wouldn't even try. They had been so close just moments ago and just thinking about what he did for her, what he gave up just so that she wouldn't have to be alone, made her heart beat just that bit faster. That really was the sweetest thing and it reminded her of their time together, he'd been sweet and tender with her just like he had tonight as he had stood by her side in the hospital and brought her home.

Ross was having a fight with himself in his head. He was having strange thoughts of kissing her right then and there and just act upon his feelings. But he had to be rational, he couldn't do that anymore. They were over, they had been over for quite a while now and he had no right to even think of kissing her or holding her.

But it was hard not too, he still saw her practically every day, and every day his resistance crumbled more and more like a fragile glass wall that had been struck by thousands of little pebble stones creating endless scratches and cracks until the wall was not be able to stand up any longer.

He could feel his defense slipping as he let go of the doorknob, he was unable to resist the emotional turmoil that plagued him in this very moment and he didn't even think of the consequences his actions may cause. Al he knew is, that he had to feel her again, just hold her close to him again, even if it was just for the smallest amount of time.

Without thinking twice, he crossed the floor to where she was standing stil staring up at him. Without hesitation he gently took her face in his hands and pressed his mouth against hers in a soft lingering kiss, he broke away almost immediately only to wrap his arms gently around her shoulders before he brushed his lips against hers again, this time keeping them there, firmly pressed against her mouth.

Rachel's eyes widened a considerable amount as she had felt the light touch on her mouth, it was gone just as soon as she had felt it. But them his arms went around her shoulders and he kissed her again, but this time he kept his mouth on hers . She wanted to protest, she wanted to push him away but a much larger part of herself wanted to just give in and enjoy the moment. She slowly closed her eyes and hesitantly moved her mouth in reaction to him. Her arms left her sides and gripped at his sweater as they wrapped themselves around his waist.

The moment he felt her react , Ross deepened the kiss. This felt so good, so wonderful. He had missed her so much and he poured every feeing he was feeling into it, hoping that somehow she could read them.

Their mouths moved in perfect sync as they softly explored each other again. Rachel sighed into him, her knees felt weak and she didn't know if she would be able to stand without the support of his arms. She felt so many things at once that it overwhelmed her and that frightened her a little. She was afraid she might lose control.

Ross broke away slightly, his eyes were still closed as he stole a few last innocent nips before he buried his face in her neck near her ear. He kept holding her close to him, he needed this moment to last just a little longer before he would go back to reality.

Rachel rested her head against his shoulder, she didn't dare to speak. She didn't want for him to let go of her yet. She had missed his arms around her, she had missed his gentle touches and his gentle kisses but she didn't know if she would be ready to be with him just yet and that thought scared her.

Silent tears made their way down her cheeks, she bit her her lip as a soft sob escaped her, she was so confused right now.

Ross hugged her tighter to himself , careful not to hurt her broken rib. He knew how she must be feeling because he was pretty sure he felt the same way.

He placed a soft kiss behind her ear.

"I'm sorry", he whispered . He didn't know if he apologized for kissing her or for everything that had happened that caused them to break up, but he hoped that she would accept it.

He gently pushed her back so that they were not hugging anymore and lifted her chin , he smiled at her and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

Then without saying a word he let go of her and turned away. He walked towards the open door and grabbed the knob. Taking one last glance at her, he pulled the door close behind him.

Rachel blinked as she wiped at her eyes. A small smile formed around her lips. Even though she knew this didn't change anything between them just yet, she knew she'd never regret this moment.

"See ya", she whispered towards the closed door before turning around and walking into her room, closing the door softly behind her.......

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END


	10. Unsent Letter

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**10; Unsent Letter . **

**A/N: Hello, I'm celebrating the 10****th**** ficlet in the series! That is so great. Thank you for all your support thus far! **

**This ficlet deals with......... let's just say it's about time some air got cleaned between our fave lovebirds^^ This takes place in season8 and has refferences to season 3!**

**I had a dream about this, it was very vivid and when I woke up I wrote some headlines down so I could remember it the next day. So this is basically written from scratch.....................my notepad is feeling lonely.....XD.**

_Italics is writing!_

**Enjoy.**

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Rachel followed Ross inside his apartment. She would be living here from now on. She remembered a time where she almost moved in with him too, it brought a frown and a smile to her face.

"Okay, so you can have the guest room, do with it whatever you want", Ross said happily. He couldn't be happier now that Rachel was moving in with him. He wouldn't have to miss another single thing of the pregnancy this way.

He smiled to himself as he showed Rachel the guest room, he would make this work. He did not want her to move out again like she did before, she hadn't even lived a day at his apartment even.

"I can do whatever I want with it?", Rachel said with raised brows. Ross nodded.

"Yes, it's yours".

Rachel looked around the rather spacious room. She calculated how she could use it best. She would need to have a corner for the baby's stuff. Ross and Joey had already put her bed in the room on it's designated spot by the window.

She turned around and smiled at Ross.

"Thank you", she said softly. Ross just shrugged his shoulders.

"No thank you for moving in, this way I don't have to miss out on the pregnancy stuff again", he said walking over to her and laying a hand on her stomach which had begun to show a little bump

He let go and walked over to the spacious closet sliding the doors to the side to open it.

"I already started making room for you in this closet, it has been my storage room so there is still some junk left in there. But don't worry I'll clear it out for you when I come back okay?", he questioned.

Rachel looked past him into the closet, there were only three small boxes and some sheets left in there.

"I can do that, I'll put the boxes near my door so you can get them later", she said.

Ross nodded, "Okay sounds like a plan, I have to go now, I promised Ben I'd, stop by. Are you going to be okay?"

Rachel nodded, already walking away to get some of her stuff unpacked.

Ross grabbed his keys, he opened the door and just stood still, observing Rachel, who was walking back and forth with boxes humming a melody to herself.

He smiled to himself as he closed the door behind him.

Rachel placed her hands in her sides as she observed her work on the room so far. She was almost done with unpacking, she only needed to put her clothes and knickknacks away and then she'd be settled.

She sighed as she plopped down on her bed, laying on her back. She stared at the ceiling for a moment. Her life was taking some surprising turns lately but she couldn't say she didn't enjoy it. She softly rubbed her stomach, a smile on her face.

She sat up again eying the closet. She'd better start on that if she wanted to finish before dinner.

She slid the doors open again and eyed the boxes inside. She carefully took the first box, it was taped shut and kind of heavy, she figured it must contain some of Ross' fossils. He cleared some of those out for her so she could store her books and stuff in the living room as well. The second and third boxes were taped shut too but a lot lighter then the first one. She placed them in her door opening before she went back to further investigate the closet. It was dusty in there

She grabbed the sheets from the closet floor and put them on top of the boxes. She wiped some dust from the clothing rack. Above that was a wooden plank. She could barely reach it as she felt it for forgotten items. She brushed something cold, she jumped slightly before scolding herself for being frightened of a little monkey statue. She looked it over before she put it away. She went over the wood again, making sure nothing was left there. She turned around to observe the rest of the now empty closet. She would ask Ross to make her another wooden plank so she could fit the baby's stuff on it.

She bend through her knees when she noticed something on the floor. It was a crumpled and balled up piece of paper that had writing all over it. She turned the paper ball in her hands a few times then she shrugged her shoulders as she walked out of the closet to put it with Ross' other stuff. But as she laid the piece of paper down, her eye fell on a particular word that she easily could make out this time.

'_Rachel'_

She furrowed her brows, what was Ross doing with a piece of paper that had her name written on it? She was intrigued as she sat back down on her bed. She laid the paper down and tried to smooth it out so that it was flat and readable instead of crumpled up in a ball. She discovered that it actually were two sheets of paper with text on both sides.

It seemed to be a letter of some kind, it was aged a bit, the paper had a yellowish color. She recognized Ross' small writing. Some of the ink had been smudged in places, he probably had dropped liquid on it, water or something. She picked it up, for some strange reason her heart was pounding as she started reading the letter she strangely never received from him......

* * *

_Dear Rachel,_

_I don't even know how I ended up sitting at my table, writing this letter, I'll probably never even send it out to you. I need to calm down and let off some steam. I just got back to my apartment, I 'm angry, I'm hurt I'm I don't know how to feel exactly. I think I mostly just feel empty without you here beside me. I miss you already, so much but you probably don't think about that right now, you're probably just glad I left and I can't say I blame you for that. I've been so stupid, I made such a stupid mistake, but I'm not going to apologize for it again, you won't believe me either way._

_I do realize I hurt you, I hurt you so so much and I'm angry at myself for doing this to you. But I can't help but think that I am not the only one at fault right now. It sounds selfish but it is the truth. I wanted to talk about this but you wouldn't let me finish. So I'm going to give you a piece of my mind now, simply because you deserve a proper explanation and I want you to understand my side of this story. I feel you never really did understood just how much you've hurt me too, I need to get this out of my system and in the open, I feel like I'm being swallowed up in pitch black despair right now, the future is blurry and so is my vision but that is probably because of my tears, I'm weak but I don't care._

_I know I made some mistakes, I know I haven't always been the easiest person to be around. I know I have my problems I won't deny that, just as much as I won't deny that I have been overly jealous and kind of possessive but you don't know how scared I've been of losing you. What we had was phenomenal, it made me the happiest man alive, I loved you so much, well I still love you and I don't think I'll ever stop but that is not the point I want to get across. What I'm trying to say is that you made me feel things I never felt this intense before, I never had this kind of deep connection with someone, not even Carol. To be honest, that scared me beyond believe but at the same time it felt so incredible that I had to pinch myself sometimes just to see that I was not dreaming, that you were really there next to me. When you told me about the stranger that offered you a job, I realize I've been kind of a jerk to you but that was only because it frightened me, don't ask me why, I myself don't even know. But I guess from that moment on, I already felt you slipping away from me and that feeling kept growing and growing when you started working at Bloomingdales with that guy. I can't even write his name down for you because the mere thought of Him angers me._

_Do you remember that talk we had in Central Perk? About jealousy and trust? I told you how frightened I was to lose you, what you don't know is that I already felt I lost you._

_I felt the distance grow between us, I know I am partly to blame for that but you have a part in it as well. I hated it when you had to work late, the first couple of times it was okay, I mean I was disappointed that I didn't get to see you but it was bearable, but then when you got more workload I hardly ever saw you anymore, you might think I am over exaggerating but place yourself in my shoes for a moment. How would you like it , if the person you love is more at work then at home? Can you understand where I'm coming from here? I hated it when I received yet another call from you telling me the same over and over again. It frustrated me and maybe I should have been a little clearer to you when we discussed this but to be honest you didn't really let me. It stung, the fights we had over this over and over again. I just wanted to be with you but it seemed that you thought work was more important at that moment then me for you. That hurt me._

_Then our anniversary came up and I had this whole evening planned out. I was really looking forward to finally spend some time with you again. I just wanted you close to me that night, hold you and just be with you without interruptions. But when I arrived at your apartment to pick you up , Monica told me that I had to call you. I dreaded that moment, praying and hoping to myself that you would not be canceling on me because of work. I thought our anniversary meant just as much to you as it did to me but apparently I was wrong for you told me you couldn't make it. _

_You don't know how much that hurt me,and you'll probably never know because I don't think I can even express it in words. Then I got frustrated and angry with you but that didn't last long, I can never stay mad at you for long. And I know you told me that I shouldn't come to your office but I was being stubborn and selfish and to be honest that felt good. _

_When I arrived at your office, you were clearly surprised to see me. You were busy with all kinds of things but I just didn't want to see that. I was longing for some time with you so if I had to do it this way then so be it. But then I accidentally set some flowers on fire, it could be something else I don't even care. You got angry with me and part of me could even understand it but you didn't need to be that harsh. I might sound like a child now but when you said "Goodbye", while walking away from me, it made me feel miserable and small beyond believe. I covered my sadness up with anger for that other woman in your office, I wasn't about to show how weak I was right at that moment._

_When you came home, we almost immediately started a fight, you said you wanted to give me a change to apologize to you and that startled me, I was in disbelieve because I didn't think I needed to. I just wanted to spend some time with you but you didn't see it that way. You started yelling at me and that angered me, I just wanted to spend our anniversary together. You told me you didn't have the time ! I remember getting frustrated and I told you exactly what I felt about the current situation. To be honest, I thought to myself that you were being really selfish but I didn't tell you that. We both didn't know what to do about it and then I said something stupid, I don't know why I said it but I did, I asked you if this was about Him. The look you gave me told me everything and I immediately regretted bringing that up. We were both angry, I asked you what you wanted me to do and you said that we should take a break. I really thought you wanted to just get something and cool off so when you told me that you wanted to take a break from us, I felt my world collapse around me. I didn't want you to see the tears in my eyes so I just turned around and walked away._

_You probably don't want to read what I am about to write now, I want to tell you why I slept with that xerox girl, what made me stop thinking clearly and just do it. I just need for you to try and understand it, you might never do though but it is worth a try._

_I went to that party that Joey and Chandler told me about, I didn't want to go home and be alone with my miserable thoughts. I took some drinks with the guys and Chloe. Chandler and Joey convinced me to call you, I said to them it was too early to call but I was actually just scared. But they forced me and so I gave in. When I heard your voice I was so happy. My bleak night gained back some of it's color. I asked you if we couldn't work this all out and you agreed which made me ecstatic but then I heard a voice, it was male and familiar. When I asked you who it was you denied someone was there with you, I couldn't believe you'd lie about it. When I heard the voice the second time I was sure it was Him. I asked you again and this time you said yes, you were about to say something else and maybe I should've let you finish talking, maybe I should've listened but I was so shocked and hurt when I heard that, all kinds of thought entered my mind and all I knew is that I had to hang up the phone before I would say something to you that I would most definitely regret later. I smashed the horn on it's cradle. My heart literally broke into a million pieces that night._

_I kept on drinking, and I know it is not an excuse for what I did after that but it did play a huge part in it. I remember they played With or without you, that song is significant for the both of us. It made me think of all the good times we shared as I swayed to the music. Chloe asked me to dance but I protested until she practically dragged me to the dance floor. I didn't want to dance with her but my feet just moved on their own. The evening is a mass of blurry memories, I don't even know how I ended up kissing her let alone sleeping with her. I can't remember much of it still_

_I guess I don't need to tell you what happened after you came by this morning to talk to me. Do you know how happy I was to see you? It felt so good to hug you close to me again even though I partially did it so you wouldn't notice that there was someone in the room just behind the door._

_I hated the fight we had, it was long and painful. I hated to see the tears on your cheeks, all I wanted was to make everything right again but it was impossible. I can't turn back the hands of time, but God I wish I could._

_When you told me to leave, I was devastated, I somehow still had the hope that we could work it out, I couldn't believe it was the end for us, for real this time but you were standing your ground._

_I left._

_Do you know what I did when I came home? I just cried and cried, my apartment is a mess because I started throwing with stuff, I felt numb. I listened to the message you left me this morning over and over again just to hear your voice. I felt tired and empty. I was going crazy in my head, just thinking of you and how good we were together. How I messed this up but not just me and that's how I ended up at the table writing this letter to you. It feels good to trust my thoughts to these papers, it feels good to vent and let some steam off._

_But it feels miserable too, I feel miserable, I miss you. I want you here beside me, I want to feel you in my arms again. They always say you don't know what you miss till it's gone and they are right._

_I'm out of paper, honesty I don't even feel like writing anymore. This letter won't reach you I think, I don't have the guts to post it. And I don't want to hurt you any more then I already did. _

_I just want you to know that I'm so so sorry and I know I said I wouldn't apologize anymore but I can't help it. I really hope that someday you can forgive me for what I did and that you realize that you're not the only one who's been hurt by all of this._

_I Love you._

_Ross._

_

* * *

  
_

By the time she finished the letter, Rachel was having trouble keeping the tears in her eyes from overflowing. She covered her mouth with her hand as she put the letter down for a moment. She hadn't been expecting to find something like this. It brought up painful memories. She grabbed the fragile papers and scanned the writing again. She never knew how he truly felt. As she reread the letter for the third time , she realized that he was right. She had been selfish, back then she didn't see it like that but now she looked at it differently.

She was so absorbed by the letter and her thoughts that she didn't hear Ross come home and calling out for her.

Ross closed the door behind him as he called for Rachel a second time. He didn't receive an answer so he hung up his coat and walked over to the guest room, sure that he would find her there happily packing away her clothes ans stuff into the closet. But when he stood in the door opening he was shocked, he wasn't prepared to see her sitting on her bed with tears streaming down her face. She was clutching something close to her chest. He was immediately worried, did something happen to her or the baby?

"Rach?", he asked softy stepping into the room.

Rachel startled, she hadn't hear him come in. She looked up at him, her tears were still falling. She saw him standing before her with a worried expression on his face.

She didn't know why she did it but she albruptly stood up and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face into his chest.

To say that he was surprised, was an understatement. Ross soothingly rubbed circles over her back as she sobbed into him, he could feel her warm tears starting to seep through the thin fabric of his pullover.

"Did something happen?", he asked confused.

Rachel didn't answer him right away. She broke away and took his hands in hers as she led him to the bed. She motioned for him to sit down next to her which he did.

"You're scaring me Rach, What's the matter?", Ross asked.

Rachel bit her lip as she slowly handed him the pieces of paper she had been clutching to her chest. He took it from her and smoothed it out again since she had crumbled it in her tight grip.

It took a few moments before he realized what exactly he was holding in his hands. The color literally drained from his face as he turned to lock eyes with Rachel.

"Did....did you read this?", he asked but he already knew the answer to it.

"I'm sorry, I found it on the closet floor and it had my name on it", she said softly.

Ross swallowed thickly, he never thought he would see that letter ever again, he actually thought he had gotten rid of it when he moved here. But here it was in his hands and Rachel had read it. Without knowing it he had hurt her again.

"I'm sorry you had to find that, I hurt you again', he said with a sigh as he stood up. He needed to get out of the room but Rachel stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"No, you didn't hurt me", she said hastily. He sat back down again but refused to look her in the eyes.

"I think we need to talk", she said softly but firmly. She laced her fingers with his and squeezed his hand.

"Ross will you please look at me?", she asked.

Ross turned to face her. She gave him a small reassuring smile.

"Ross, I think I owe you an apology", she started but she was cut of by him.

"No you don't. Listen, this letter, I wrote it right after we broke up, I was emotional and sad I didn't..", this time he was interrupted by Rachel.

"No, you were right, about this", she said taking the letter in her hands again.

"Please listen to me and let me finish talking before you say anything okay?"

Ross nodded.

"Okay, when I read this letter I was shocked and surprised. I never expected to find something like this, I never knew you wrote a letter. I can understand why you didn't sent it to me. Back then I was a different person. I just started at this amazing job. I didn't see how much I actually hurt you. Now after reading this, I can see how selfish I've been. And I don't know if it means anything to you now but I'm sorry", she trailed off softly.

"Rach..", Ross started but she shushed him.

"I'm not finished yet. I know I shouldn't have lied to you when you called me from that club or party you were at, but I knew how much you hated Mark and I knew you would jump to conclusions right away. But you have to believe me that he really was there just to talk to me. He called me and noticed I was miserable and kind of invited himself over and I didn't really try to stop him from doing so.", She paused for a moment before she continued talking.

"I knew how you felt about me working late all the time, but I just ignored it and that was wrong of me because I was feeling the exact same thing. I actually hated to work late, I wanted to spend more time with you too but I was just new at this job and I wanted to make a good impression, I guess you were right, in a way my work became more important to me then you. But I want you to know that you were wrong about one thing, our anniversary meant the world to me, even though I didn't show it. When you showed up at the office I was surprised and I secretly enjoyed it but everything was so chaotic and it became too much for me to handle. I lashed out at you, believing I was doing nothing wrong, but I know better now. I knew I hurt you but I just shrugged it off. I should.."

She stopped talking when she felt a warm hand on her cheek wiping away some of her tears..

"It's okay Rachel, that's in the past now, I've left it behind me and you should too", he said softly.

She nodded, "Yes, but I want to tell you one more thing", she said.

"Okay", Ross said lacing their hands together again but Rachel untangled her hands from his which surprised him. He frowned slightly.

"Ross", she started as she took his face in her hands, "I just want you to know that I've forgiven you", she finished.

Ross blinked in disbelieve. "What?", he said stunned. He couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face, he'd longed for her to say those words to him for a long time, he had actually given up already on ever gaining forgiveness for his foolish behavior with the xerox girl.

"I forgive you", Rachel simply repeated with a small smile around her lips. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek before she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him into her. Ross closed his eyes as he buried his face in her neck holding her tightly to him.

He was happy that the air had cleared between them now. He rubbed her back for a moment before he broke away.

"Thank you", he whispered. She just nodded at him, she grabbed the letter and folded it neatly.

"Can I keep this?", she asked.

Ross nodded, "Sure if you want it",

"I do", she answered. She grabbed a shoe-box from one of her boxes and opened it. Ross recognized the contents in it, it was her special Ross box. He watched her place the letter carefully in it before she closed it again and put it away on the wooden plank in the closet.

Ross stood up, "I'm ordering pizza, any special wishes?"

Rachel shook her head smiling at him,"Just make sure there is no anchovies on it this time", she joked. Ross chuckled as he left the room, leaving her to go back to unpacking the rest of her stuff.

They would make the best out of the current situation and that would be a lot easier now that one of the biggest obstacles had been cleared between the both of them......

END!


	11. Special Part A TOW The Lilies

**Little Glimpses of Love**

*****Special*****

**A/n; Hello! Welcome to this ficlet SPECIAL! Yes a special, and it's a two parter. These specials take place after the finale of Friends! Enjoy!**

**Part A; TOW The Lilies .**

**Notes; This ficlet has references to TO In Massapequa, it takes place approx. half a year after the final.**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"So that is settled then Henry", Ross said with a slight smile around his lips.

"You bet! I'm sure it's going to be so amazing, I must say you really know how to organize something so special in such a brilliant way", Henry replied.

Ross chuckled, "Well let's hope it will be received as such then", he said .

"Oh come on Dr Geller, I wouldn't worry about that! I'll make sure my part is played well, I won't disappoint you", Henry gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder before he waved and walked away.

Ross nodded to himself, Henry was most likely right. He had arranged everything neatly, there wasn't a thing that could go wrong really except............Ross shook his head, he did not want to think that right now. He was nervous enough as it is.

He breathed in the fresh air of Central Park as he walked to his last destination. His cell vibrated in his pocket so he took it and answered it.

"Hello, Ross speaking"

"Ross! How is _**'the plan'**_ coming along?"

Ross chuckled to himself, he could hear his sister was trying to sound casual but her voice was still frantic and her speaking was just a tad faster then normal.

"Calm down Monica, everything is going according to the plan, we're right on schedule actually. Now have you done your part?"

"Yes, everything is okay here too, where are you?", Monica answered.

"I'm on my way to my last destination to pick up some packages then I'll be over at Central Perk in most likely half an hour"

"Okay, we'll be there too then", with that his sister hung up the phone and Ross couldn't help the big grin that settled on his face. He reached his destination.

He waked into the small but neatly organized store. It was cozy and well decorated. He approached the salesclerk at the counter with a smile.

"Good afternoon sir, is there anything I can help you with today?"

"Yes, I'm here to pick up the items I have ordered? It's under Geller", he said to the friendly man.

"Okay, one moment please", the man disappeared into the back for a moment before he returned with three small white boxes.

"Here they are Mr Geller, I hope everything is to your liking", the clerk said while he opened the boxes carefully so Ross could take a look at what was inside of them.

"They are, thank you. Can you wrap up the two largest boxes?", he asked while he took the smallest box and slid it in the inside pocket of his coat.

"Of course".

After everything was packed, Ross left the store and headed straight for Central Perk.

Chandler and Joey were seated on the big comfy couch, seemingly discussing something. He walked into the coffee house and greeted them as he took a seat in his favorite comfy chair.

"Hey guys"

"Hey Ross!', Chandler and Joey said simultaneously.

"Where is Monica?", Ross said with a knowing grin.

"On the phone with the babysitter, where else would she be?", Chandler said grinning too.

Ross rolled his eyes, his sister would never change, not even now that she lived outside the city, she was just as worried and neurotic as ever especially when it came to the twins.

"I really miss you guys living here", Ross said.

"Yeah me too, so when are you moving back?", Joey said seriously. He took a bite out of his muffin.

Chandler chose to ignore him for now, he would probably never stop asking that question anyway. Instead he turned to Ross again.

"So, I hear everything is going smoothly huh?", he said with a smile.

Ross nodded, "Yes thus far things are going great! Let's hope it stays that way", he finished. He couldn't help the nervousness that suddenly appeared in his voice.

Chandler gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Don't tell me the great Dr Geller is nervous over such a small matter as this? I though you loved doing this, it's basically your hobby!", he said laughing.

Ross nodded his head, "Yeah yeah I know, but this will be the last time you can joke about it, I'm planning to let this one stick!"

Chandler gave him a thumbs up when Monica returned from the back. She gave Ross a quick hug.

"I'm so excited for you!", she exclaimed. She sat down next to Chandler.

"Thanks Monica", Ross said with a knowing look.

"How are the twins? Did they get sick, did they run away? Although that is kind of impossible considering their age but hey you never know!", Chandler joked.

"Ha ha very funny and the twins are fine", Monica said, she was fidgeting and twirling her thumbs.

"Honey, relax! Marjory is completely qualified to watch the kids you know that", Chandler took her hands into his and held them firmly.

Ross and Joey chuckled.

"Well I'm off, I got another audition! Good luck Ross!", Joey said. He took his coat and keys before he left.

"We should probably go too, it's been a long day with all this organizing and such and I just.............oh screw it I just really want to get home to Jack and Erica", Monica chuckled.

They said their goodbyes outside the coffee house before they went their separate ways.

"Don't you dare forget to let me know how it went!", Monica threated. Ross just shook his head as he waved at them before they disappeared around the corner. He pulled his coat closer around him, the wind was getting a little chilly as he walked to his building, eager to see the two most beautiful women in his life after this eventful day. He tried to ignore the erratic and nervous beating of his heart along the way

* * *

"So you guys are doing really well huh?", Phoebe said with a smile. Rachel just nodded at her while she helped Emma out of her jacket.

"Yes, it's amazing", she said absentmindedly with a smile around her lips.

Phoebe grinned knowingly to herself. She was so happy for her Lobsters, she still referred to them as such. She wondered if everything that Ross had been doing today had been going well. She loved the fact that Ross had included all of them in his big plan.

"Here you go sweety", Rachel said as she handed her daughter a lemonade.

"Thank you", Emma said sweetly.

"She sure is growing up fast, I can't believe she is going to be two soon!", Phoebe said as she sat down on the couch. Rachel took a seat beside her.

"Yeah me neither, it's amazing how time flies"

At that moment the door opened and Ross walked in, his hair was damp.

"Is it raining?", Rachel said surprised.

"Just started to yes", Ross said as he hung his coat away making sure that Rachel couldn't see the small bag he hurriedly hid in the sleeve.

He walked over to her and softly kissed her.

"I'm home", he chuckled.

Rachel just smiled at him, "I'm glad you are, we missed you"

At that moment Emma ran towards them as fast as her short legs could carry her.

"Daddy!", She exclaimed stretching her arms out towards him. Ross picked her up and gave her a big hug and a kiss on her cheek.

"There is my favorite little girl in the whole world!", he said smiling as he tickled her stomach. Emma giggled.

Phoebe and Rachel shared a look.

"Hey Pheebs", Ross said putting Emma down on the floor again, "How are you and Mike?"

"We're good, how are you and Rachel?", she retorted. Rachel and Ross looked at each other for a moment.

"Uh we're good", Ross said chuckling. Phoebe grinned at him.

"Okay I'm gonna go get changed out of these wet clothes", Ross said before he turned to look at Rachel, "You should get ready too, we have dinner reservations at seven", he reminded her.

"I know sweety", Rachel said, "I already picked out my outfit so I'll change after you are done"

Ross raised his brows at that, he remembered a time when she tried on millions of outfits before she was finally ready to go somewhere.

Rachel frowned slightly "Don't give me that look", she said.

"I'm sorry but it is a little hard to believe that you are going to be ready to go in just minutes instead of hours", he teased. She shook her head at him.

"I don't know about that though, I mean I have my outfit ready and all but I still have to do my make-up and my hair, that could take forever", she whispered the last word in his ear before she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Ross was about to protest but she pushed him forwards towards their room.

"Go get ready", she said with a slight chuckle.

Phoebe, who had seen the whole little exchange, grinned when Rachel sat down next to her again.

"I'm so happy for you guys", she said suddenly enveloping her friend in a tight hug. Rachel was surprised by it but she returned the gesture nonetheless.

"Thank you Pheebs, now are you sure you will be alright watching Emma for the night?"

"Yes don't worry, we'll be fine, won't we Emma?", Phoebe said turning her attention to the girl on the floor. Emma looked up for a moment before she resumed her babbling to her stuffed animals again.

"See?!", Phoebe said matter of factly.

Rachel nodded, "Yep you convinced me", she said.

"Okay I'm done, you can use the bathroom honey", Ross said walking into the living room. He was wearing a black suit with a white collared blouse and a lime green tie. His hair was combed neatly yet it wasn't too neat, it still had that messy look he always had nowadays. Rachel whistled softly as she passed him.

"Hey handsome", she said softly as she gripped his hand for a moment before she walked into their room. Ross couldn't help but blush a little. He cleared his throat as he walked over to where he hung his coat. Making sure that Rachel was indeed in their room, he grabbed the little bag out of the sleeve.

"What are those?", Phoebe said curious pointing to the two wrapped boxes.

"Ssh! Don't let her hear you", Ross warned as he sat down next to her on the couch. "These are just a little extra gift I picked up for tonight"

"Oh okay, that is so sweet! Can I see the other item?", Phoebe pleaded. Ross smiled as he took the smallest box and opened it.

She carefully took it from his hands to admire the contents with a deep sigh.

"Those gifts are going to pale in comparison with this I'm sure!, It's so beautiful", she gasped. She looked at it for a little longer before she closed the box and returned it to Ross who slipped it in the inside pocket of his suit jacket along with the other two boxes. It was a tight fit but it would do for now.

He picked up Emma from the floor and placed her on his lap.

"Hey Emma, you're going to stay with Aunt Phoebe tonight, how's that?", he said in a high pitched voice.

"Yeah!", she exclaimed cutely with a bright smile.

Phoebe chuckled, she liked Emma, the kid was really sweet and surprisingly well behaved. She loved babysitting her every now and then.

"Yes and we are going to have so much fun!", she said excited clapping her hands. Emma looked at her before she copied her clapping and laughed out loud.

"Well as long as you can promise me that my apartment will still be here when we come back, then I have nothing to complain about", Ross said also laughing. He handed Emma to Phoebe and looked at his watch, it was half past six. They would have to leave soon if they wanted to make it to the restaurant in time. And tonight was all about timing so they couldn't be late.

"I'm gonna go see if Rachel is ready yet", he said. He walked over to their room and knocked on the door softly before entering. Rachel sat in front of her desk. She was applying the last touches of make-up to her face. Ross stayed in the door just watching her. She literally took his breath away.

She was wearing a long black dress that accented her curves in the most exquisite way. Her feet were covered in simple yet elegant strapped sandals and her hair was up in a bun with a few strands of hair framing her face. Rachel locked eyes with him through the mirror.

"Like what you see?", she teased. Ross just nodded. He walked into the room and wrapped his arms around her from behind as he bend down to place a soft kiss behind her ear.

"Of course I like what I see", he whispered softly.

Rachel closed her eyes for a moment as she relaxed in his arms. Then she untangled herself from him and stood up turning to face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him slowly. Ross responded immediately, he protested weakly when she pulled away.

"Dinner remember?", she chuckled knowingly.

"Right!", Ross said. He squeezed her into him for a moment.

"You look gorgeous", he said

"Thank you", Rachel replied, she took hold of his hand and pulled him with her to the living room before her instincts would take over and just have her way with him right in that moment. A warm and happy feeling filled her whole being right now, she was floating on a big pink cloud of love and she loved it.

When they entered the living room, they saw that both Emma and Phoebe were transfixed watching Sesame street on the TV. Ross laughed softly to himself, Phoebe was a strange one, she would always be a strange one.

"Well we're off", Rachel said as she walked around the couch to kiss Emma on her head.

"You look really nice", Phoebe remarked.

"Thanks", Rachel replied, she turned back to Emma.

"Bye sweety, be good", she said softly. Emma just nodded, all of her attention was on the TV . Ross kissed the top of her head too before he turned to Phoebe.

"Thanks again Pheebs.........for everything", he put extra emphasis on the last word hoping she would get the clue.

Phoebe winked at him, "No problem, now go! Have some fun!", she said seriously.

"We will", Ross said , he handed Rachel her coat before he put on his own. With one last wave towards Emma they left the apartment...

* * *

"This is nice", Rachel said. She reached over their dining table to grab Ross' hand. Ross smiled at her while he laced their fingers together.

"Yes it is and while we wait for dessert I want to give you something", he let go of her hand to reach into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Rachel looked at him curiously.

He took out two small wrapped items and handed them to her.

"Happy Half-A-Versary!", he joked , "just a little something to celebrate we survived half a year already", he finished with a smile. He reached over their table to plant a soft kiss on her cheek.

Rachel blushed in spite of herself as she accepted the gifts from him.

"You didn't have to do this, I didn't get you anything", she said softly.

"You don't need to get me anything, just the fact that you are here with me is more wonderful then all the gifts you could ever give me", Ross said seriously.

Rachel felt like melting right there on the spot, he was always so sweet. She gave him a smile before she proceeded to open the first present. Unwrapping it, she found a small white box. Curiously she opened it to reveal its contents.

In it was a silver bracelet set with small sparkling stones. There was a little bead on it that had the birth date of their daughter on it. She noticed small writing engraved on the inside of the bracelet. The inscription read _**'It's always been you'.**_

Rachel felt her eyes mist over with tears as she gently put the bracelet on her wrist. It fit perfectly.

"Thank you", she whispered softly. Ross just squeezed her hand and urged her on to open the next wrapped box.

She unwrapped it revealing a similar white box only a little bigger. In it were two items. The first was a necklace. It was in the same silver design as the bracelet but there were no stones on it, instead it had a small heart shaped medallion. She carefully opened it to reveal a small picture of Ross and Emma, they were both smiling at the camera. Emma was waving. Rachel chuckled slightly, a warm feeling spread through her whole being when she looked at that. Her little family, she considered herself so very lucky.

"It's beautiful", she sighed softly dabbing at her eyes with a napkin before she took the last items out of the box. It was a set of earrings, the same design as the necklace and bracelet. They had two little stones on it each. She took out the ones she was wearing so she could wear the new set. Then she took the necklace and undid the small clasp.

"Care to help me with this?", she said smiling.

"Anytime!", Ross said with a chuckle, he stood behind her so he could close the clasp. Rachel looked at the small picture again before she looked up at Ross who was already back in his seat.

"I don't know what to say, this is all so...", she trailed of.

"Don't say anything", Ross whispered knowingly. He was about to say something else when they were interrupted by a loud beeping. Ross looked around before he realized that it was his beeper that was making a lot of noise. He hurriedly grabbed it to silence it and looked at the number on it.

"Uh oh", he said worried.

"What is it? ", Rachel said becoming worried almost instantly too.

"I'm not sure , Henry just beeped me, I'm gonna give him a call okay be right back" He stood up and left the table.

Rachel watched him go, a dreamy look on her face. This evening was perfect. They'd had the best dinner and just being together was such a great feeling. She fingered the bracelet on her wrist. She knew one thing for sure, she would **NEVER** exchange these beautiful items for something else.

Ross came back to the table with a panicked expression on his face.

"What's wrong honey?", Rachel said with a worried expression on her face.

"Uhm well you know that project I'm doing ? For one of my classes at the University?"

Rachel mulled his words over but she couldn't quite get what he was talking about. Seeing her puzzled expression made Ross chuckle slightly.

"Remember I told you about the collaboration with the museum for one of my classes. Well Henry was supposed to set everything up for tomorrow but he kind of messed up..................no he really messed up and now I have to go over there to fix this", he said frowning.

"Oh that!", Rachel said when she finally realized what he was talking about.

"Yeah, I can't believe this!", Ross said disappointed., "Do you mind to come to the museum with me after dessert before going home? I mean I can drop you off at home..", he trailed of.

"No no that is okay, sure I'll come with you", Rachel said grabbing his hands.

"Really, aw that is so sweet of you, I know you don't really like it there', he said.

"Yeah well........when you are there with me it's not such a bad place", Rachel joked squeezing their hands together.

Unbeknownst to Rachel, Ross let out a small relieved sigh, things were going surprisingly well and right according to plan thus far.

**

* * *

  
**

Phoebe startled awake from her slumber when a loud knock sounded on the door . She shook her head slightly trying to remember where exactly she was since she didn't recognize the furniture in the room at first. Then she remembered being at Ross and Rachel's apartment watching little Emma who was sound asleep in her room.

The knocking became louder.

"Phoebe?!"

"Monica?", Phoebe said surprised. She hurriedly strolled over to the door to open it. Monica Chandler and Joey were on the other side.

"You guys, what are you doing here?"

"Are they back yet?", Monica immediately countered.

"No", Phoebe said as she let them all in.

"Oh all this waiting is making me anxious!", Monica said loudly. Phoebe shushed her immediately telling her that Emma was sleeping.

"Where are the twins?", she asked.

"At home with the sitter, big surprise huh?", Chandler joked referring to Monica not being able to leave the twins for longer then 5 minutes.

"Yeah well, I just really want to know if Ross did okay",Monica said. Joey emerged from the kitchen with a big sandwich. They all looked at him.

"What? I'm hungry, might as well eat something while we wait for them to get home, who knows how long that might be", he said sitting down.

"Well, this is nice actually, now I have some company!", Phoebe said softly.

"So do you think they are there yet? You think he asked her yet?", Chandler said. They all looked at each other.

"I don't know, maybe. This is so great isn't it, what do you think she'll say?", Monica wondered.

"Of course she is going to say yes, I mean come on it's them", Joey said. Chandler nodded in agreement. Phoebe nodded too, "Yes of course because they are each others lobsters remember!"

They all gave a her an amused look.

"What?", Phoebe said puzzled.

They just nodded at her and decided to play a little card game while they waited for their two missing friends to come home.

**

* * *

  
**

To say that he was nervous was an understatement. Ross cleared his throat for the umpteenth time since their cab drive to the museum.

Rachel gave him a puzzled and worried look, "Honey? You need to relax a little, I'm sure Henry might have made it sound worse then it actually is", she said reassuringly.

Ross gave her a small smile, if only she knew what was about to happen, what was making him this anxious. He shook his head slightly, mentally pep talking to himself, he was starting to become his sister!

"Yeah you're probably right, it's going to be okay", he said kissing her forehead softly.

Rachel nodded.

The cab pulled up at the entrance of the museum, it was dark all the lights seemed to be off except for a few on the second floor of the building, Rachel figured they'd find Henry there. She could vaguely remember him from meeting him at her and Ross' first date . Her cheeks became red just thinking about that particular evening.

"Thanks", Ross said to the cabdriver as he payed their fare. He wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders as they walked up to the front of the building. There was a security guard seated at the entrance in a special cubicle.

"Dr Geller, what brings you here at this late hour? The museum is closed", he said.

"I know that Roland, but Henry called me, there is an emergency with the set-up for one of my classes of tomorrow", Ross replied.

"Oh yeah............I'll tell you something, it doesn't look too good in there", Roland said winking slightly at Ross.

He opened the doors for them and they entered. The big entrance hall was darkened, the only light came from the emergency exit signs. Rachel unconsciously pressed herself into Ross just a little more.

"What's the matter Rach?", Ross said chuckling as he noticed this.

"This place creeps me out when it's fully lit in lights but now that it's dark it's even more sinister looking", she said. Ross laughed at that.

"Oh come on, you're afraid of a little darkness?"

"Darkness no, but dead things in a museum full of …............well dead things yes", she said uncomfortably.

Ross led her to the elevators.

"Come on, Henry is up at the second floor"

They got in and patiently waited for the elevator to reach it's destination. Ross felt very warm suddenly, he was moments away from the big thing he had been planning all day. He began to see all kind of scenarios in his head about it and none of those were happy ending. He gulped slightly as he shook his head.

The elevator doors slid open to reveal a panicked Henry waiting for them.

"Dr Geller! Roland told me you were coming up. Thankfully you are here!", he motioned for them to follow them.

"Is it really that bad?", Rachel wondered out loud. Henry turned to face her,noticing just now that she was there too.

"Where are my manners, hello Ms Greene", he said hastily before he continued, "And yes it is really really bad! I'm so sorry Ross but.............oh I'll let you see for yourself. Follow me please", he continued walking fast, leading them through several glass doors and hallways till they reached the Planetarium.

"I can't go in there again, I will just be in my booth down the corridor okay?", Henry said sadly.

"I'm really sorry about this, I hope you can fix it", he walked away from the couple softly grinning to himself, he believed he had played his part well.

"Now it's all up to you Dr Geller, don't screw it up!", he said softly to himself as he sat in his comfortable chair. He turned the security cam on that was connected to the Planetarium, he had to be very careful now, everything was about timing and he didn't want to mess this up.

Meanwhile Ross and Rachel stood before the Planetarium doors, Ross was mentally preparing himself for what was about to come. Rachel noticing his nervousness, reached up to him and planted a kiss on his mouth.

"You really need to calm down, I'm sure you can fix whatever this is", she said smiling.

"Let's hope so, let's hope this will all end on good terms", Ross said. Rachel gave him a puzzled look, not exactly knowing what he meant by that.

He took her hand, lacing their fingers together as he slowly opened the door.

Back in his security boot, Henry took that as a cue to dim all the lights.

Rachel jumped slightly when all the lights went out suddenly, she unconsciously squeezed Ross' hand tightly. Ross gulped not even noticing it, his mind was swamped with nervous thoughts.

"Ross?",Rachel whispered panicked when she felt him let go of her hand. When she didn't receive an answer from him she got a little frightened.

"Ross!?", She whispered slightly harder now.

"Yeah?", Rachel let out a big sigh of relieve when she felt him stand behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

"There you are, why didn't you reply to me?",she said accusingly. Ross didn't answer her, instead he gave her a hug from behind.

Suddenly the ceiling of the Planetarium lid up with hundreds of 'stars', it gave the room a sparkling soft glow

Rachel's mouth dropped at the sight that was before and all around her. She was surrounded by dozens of white lilies. Soft music was playing in the background.

_Someday, when I'm auwfly low.  
when the world is cold.  
I will feel the glow,just thinking of you.  
and the way you look tonight._

_You're lovely,with your smile so warm  
and your cheek so soft.  
There is nothing for me,but to love you.  
And the way you look tonight._

_With eachs word you tenderniss grows.  
Taring my fears appart.  
And that laugh,that wrinkels your nose.  
It touches my foolish mind._

_Lovely,never ever change,  
keep that braethless charm.  
Wont you please arrange it.  
Cause I love you.  
Just the way you look tonight._

She listened to the words and realized that it was Fred Astair's The way you look tonight.

She turned around to face Ross but found that he disappeared again.

"Ross?", she said softly as she carefully stepped further into the room, she touched some of the lilies. She didn't know what was going on here but she found the setting vaguely familiar.

Ross watched her from where he stood. His hand was on the small box in his pants pocket. Just looking at her taking in her surroundings with a look of total disbelieve and awe on her face made his nerves melt like snow did in sunlight. He was doing the right thing and he wouldn't screw this up he loved her too much to do that and he knew it.

"Rachel", Ross called out to her softly, she looked around her looking for him. She located him just a few steps to the left of her. He was holding out a hand to her waiting for her to grab it.

She walked over to him, she shot him a puzzled look as she grabbed his hand tightly.

"What's going on?", she asked, for some unknown reason, her heart was doing fipflops in her chest.

Ross swallowed the lump in his throat before he turned to face her, he took her face in his hands and softly kissed her.

"There is something I've been planning to tell you for a while now", he started. He grabbed both her hands again and squeezed them.

"Okay", Rachel whispered looking up at him trying to read his expression for some kind of clue to what he was getting at.

"I know we've had some rough times and I know that things have not always been exactly smooth between us but I always knew that you and me belonged together. You're the only person I've felt this strongly for, our connection is like no other. What we have is unique,

I truly believe that you are my soul mate. We've been dancing around each other for so long that it seems kind of ridiculous now........", Ross gulped slightly, he was going good, now came the most nerve wrecking part.

Rachel gulped slightly, she began to remember why she had recognized the scenario she was in right now, her heart was pounding in her chest. She bit her bottom lip as she watched Ross get down on one knee.

"W..what I'm trying to say is that I love you, I love you so so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our daughter, as a family.", Ross reached into his pants pocket and took out a small white box.

"Rachel Greene I am about to ask you a question that has been written in the stars for a long time now", with that Ross motioned for her to look up.

Rachel looked up at the ceiling. The stars were arranged neatly so that they formed a simple yet powerful sentence that made her knees tremble and her eyes mist over with tears.

"Dear Rachel, will you marry me?", Ross said the words that were spelled out loud. His heart was racing in his chest. This was it, the moment he'd been waiting for practically since he first fell in love with her back in high school.

Rachel brought her hand up to her mouth as tears poured from her eyes. She looked back down at Ross who was still on one knee holding a beautiful white golden ring that was set with three small sparkling white diamonds.

She let out a sob before she dropped down into Ross' arms hugging him tightly to her.

"Yes! Yes I will!', she said happily. Ross couldn't help the tears of happiness that rolled down his cheeks as he held her close to him. He buried his nose in her hair.

"Oh my God", Rachel whispered softly in his ear, she sat back a little so she could look him in the eyes.

"I love you", she whispered before she kissed him passionately. Ross eagerly kissed her back, this was the most single happiest evening of his live up until now. He broke away so he could gently put the ring on her finger.

"It's so beautiful", Rachel whispered. She wiped at her eyes, the tears were still pouring out. Ross took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped at her eyes.

"You've just made me the happiest man alive", he whispered.

"I can't believe you actually proposed to me the way you told those people at your parents 35th anniversary", Rachel said as she turned in his arms so she could sit down more comfortable with her back against his chest.

"Yeah well, you told me it would be hard to say no to it that way so I figured I'd take the risk", Ross joked.

Rachel just smiled as she observed the room again, it was so beautiful.

"So now that I've done this for you....................you let me ride that Harley on our wedding?"

Rachel burst out laughing, "What do you think?"

"Hey it was worth a try", Ross said mock offended.

Rachel bend her head backwards and gazed up at him, Ross took the silent hint and bent his head down so that their lips could meet in a soft kiss.

A knock on the door startled them both. Ross smiled as he broke the kiss.

"That's probably Henry wanting to congratulate us now", he said.

Rachel grabbed his outstretched hand so he could help her up.

"So Henry and that Roland guy were in this the whole time?", she asked in disbelieve.

"Yes", Ross said grinning. He opened the doors to the hallway to reveal both Henry and Roland smiling brightly at them.

"Congratulations you two!", They said simultaneously.

**

* * *

  
**

"I hate Poker I still can't play it!", Monica said frustrated as she flung her cards across the table. Joey hurriedly took the glass fruit bowl from the table .

"Easy now Monica, it's just a game", he said with raised brows.

"I know but..", she stopped talking suddenly.

"Do you hear that?"

Phoebe Chandler and Joey listened intently trying to see what Monica was talking about. Sure enough they could hear soft noises from the hallway.

"Oh you think they're back?", Phoebe whispered excited.

"I don't know, maybe?!", Monica said, they all stood up and rushed to the door. Chandler looked through the small peephole.

"What do you see?', Phoebe asked.

"Nothing yet..........oh wait..........wait..........I think it's them..............yes it's them they're back!", he said softly.

"Do they look happy?", Monica asked anxiously.

"I'd say they look pretty happy yes", Chandler stepped away from the door when he noticed that their missing friends were actually at the door now. They could hear a key being stuck in the lock to open it.

They all hastily got back on the couch. When the door opened they pretended to talk about something interesting.

"Oh so that is how they did that!", Chandler said. They all turned around to face a surprised Ross and Rachel in the door opening.

"Hey you're back!", Phoebe said with a smile.

"Yes we are, what are you all doing here?", Rachel said surprised.

Monica stood up and walked over to her while trying to make up a story that would sound believable.

"Uhm well we just wanted to keep Phoebe company and well ah well.............oh screw it!! Well?? Don't you have some great news for us?", she all but yelled enthusiastically.

Rachel shared a puzzled look with Ross who just smiled.

"They helped me with everything, the planning the set up, you might as well take them out of their misery now", he said.

"You were all in this whole thing too?", Rachel said in disbelieve.

"Yes! So ehm …...........does the plan have a happy ending or not?", Phoebe said impatiently.

Rachel smiled brightly as she showed her new engagement ring to her friends.

"Yes it does", she said softly.

"Oh my God!", Monica said excited before she hugged her friend tightly, Phoebe Joey and Chandler joined her.

"Ross get in here", they said. Ross just chuckled and happily joined the group hug. He was fortunate to have such good friends.

"Thanks you guys, I don't think I could've done it without your help", he said when they broke their hug. He wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulders who was teary eyed again. He kissed the side of her head softly.

"This is so great! I can't believe you're engaged now", Monica said.

"About time too don't you think?", Phoebe joked. They all sat down around the coffee table as they listened to Ross and Rachel re-telling every detail of their wonderful evening.

Ross looked around him, he was so happy right now., He smiled softy to himself as he watched his fiancée gush about the proposal. Could life be more perfect right now? He didn't think so, he now had everything he ever wanted and it felt tremendously good.

They would have to start planning the wedding soon, he couldn't wait!

END!


	12. Special Part B TOI Hawaii

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

*****Special*****

**Part B.**

**The One In Hawaii.**

**A/n: ****Hi! I want to say something first before i get to the notes for this ficlet. I want to sincerely apologize for making you, my readers , wait so long for this second part and updates^^ I hope you can forgive me and I hope you will enjoy what I'll have in store for you in future projects.**

**And now for this ficlet. This is the second Special, it follows approximately 6 month's after TOW The Lilies (special A) . This one deals with a RnR WEDDING! Are you excited yet? I don't know exactly how old Ben would be but in this he is 9-ish okay. Well then who am I to keep you reading my silly notes? Enjoy! (I hope :P) ( This is LOOONG! But I needed to get some things in perspective so............also in my world , Ben wasn't in London when Ross 'Married' Emily so he never has been on a plane. Was he even in London???)**

~*~*~*~*~*~

"This place looks amazing!", Monica gasped softly as she grabbed the brochure from her brother's hands. He just grinned.

"I know, we both immediately fell in love with it", Rachel said sitting down next to Monica on the couch. They were in their apartment looking through brochures and flyers of exotic marriage locations in Hawaii. Event hough Ross and Rachel had already decided on the location they wanted to use, they still liked browsing the pamphlets.

"This going to be so great", Monica almost squealed.

Ross and Rachel shared a knowing look. Rachel reached out and grabbed his hand lacing her fingers with his almost immediately.

"Yes it will be", she said with a dreamy look on her face. Ross chuckled as he squeezed her hand before he let go. He stood up from his sitting position on the coffee table and stretched lazily.

"Well I'm off, Carol should be home now and getting Ben ready."

"Okay, see you when you get back", Rachel said with a smile. Ross softly kissed her forehead.

"See you", he whispered before he said bye to his sister and left.

"So Ben is going to stay here till Friday?", Monica asked curiously.

"Yes so he can come with us to Hawaii, Carol and Susan couldn't go earlier then just before the wedding and Ben wanted to come with Ross. So he'll stay there with us and the rest of the "gang.", Rachel replied.

"I still can't believe you and Ross are getting married and in Hawaii of all places, that is so romantic!"

"I know, I myself can't believe it still, and to be honest I'm getting a little nervous now that the day is drawing nearer and nearer", Rachel admitted softly.

"You're not having seconds thought do you?", Monica said almost frightened. She was so happy for her brother and her best friend. God knows how long they had been twirling around each other hurting each other in the process. It was about time they both found their happiness together.

"No of course not, I want this more then anything, it's just that it's Ross you know. We have so much history together and , well I don't know why but I keep thinking what if we can't make it last? What if it doesn't work out like before?", Rachel sat back resting her back against the comfortable pillows of the couch. She let out a sigh as she shared a seriously worried look with her soon to be sister in law.

"I mean, am I going crazy thinking like this? It's such a big step for us, what if we're not ready?"

"Honey let me tell you something,", Monica said reassuringly squeezing Rachel's hand before she continued.

"It's true that both you and my brother have made some stupid mistakes in the past, and you do have the history there but that doesn't mean it has to be a bad thing. That doesn't mean it has to go like that again. You both grew up so much, do you even realize how different you are compared to that long time ago? We all see it, you both matured so much and learned from past mistakes. And the love you two share is unlike anything else I've ever seen. I really think you too are soul mates", Monica finished before she started chuckling funnily.

"Or lobsters as Phoebe will state", she joked. Rachel felt some of her insecurities melt away. She knew Monica was right, they did learn a lot from the past and they would make it work this time, they made that promise to each other and to Emma when she got off the plane a little over a year ago.

"Thanks Mon", she said hugging her slightly.

"You're welcome, now I must warn you though. Don't you dare leave my brother at the altar!", she said half jokingly half serious. Rachel just gave her a look before they both burst out laughing.

"Okay I'm out of here! I think Chandler is going crazy right about now"

Rachel grinned at that as she helped Monica gather her bags so she could leave.

"Okay I'll see you tomorrow okay", Monica said, "I can't wait to see it", she added. She gave Rachel one last quick hug before she stepped out of the apartment and disappeared in the hallway.

Rachel closed the door behind her as she stepped back into the apartment. She walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water when she heard small cries coming from Emma's room.

She hurriedly emptied her glass in one go. She went over to Emma who was standing up in her crib crying uncontrollably.

"Shh it's okay, Mommy's here", Rachel whispered soothingly as she hugged the upset girl against her chest.

"Did you have a bad dream", she asked softly, she felt Emma nod her head. She took a seat in the comfortable rocking chair near Emma's bed and rocked slightly back and forth while hugging her daughter close to her. She felt the tension leave Emma's body and smiled slightly as she stroked the soft blond hair that was tickling her neck. Her life had changed so much but she couldn't say she didn't like it. Her life seemed to be perfect right about now, almost too perfect and that's why she was getting a little frightened. Though deep down in her heart she knew it were just irrational fears and she shouldn't give into them.

She twirled some of Emma's hair between her fingers as she thought back to Ross' proposal. It had been so perfect and sweet. She remembered him being quite nervous but at that time she hadn't known why that was.

Emma stirred and sat up slightly, her big brown eyes locked with Rachel's as the toddler gave her mother a questioning look. Rachel noticed just how much she looked like her daddy in that moment and that made her smile.

"Mommy drink", she said cutely. Rachel smiled as she stood up.

"Are you thirsty sweety", she asked, Emma just nodded.

Rachel carried her with her to the kitchen to fix her a sippycup with some warm milk. It was getting late and she wondered where Ross and Ben were. She didn't have to worry long for the door swung open with a bang making Emma jump in her arms almost spilling warm milk all over her. She hurriedly walked to the living room.

"I won dad!", Ben was yelling excitedly in the doorway. A few seconds later , Ross popped up in the doorway beside him.

"Yes you won fair and square, I give!", he said laughing giving Ben a high five. Rachel watched the interaction with a smile on her face.

"Hey", Ross said noticing her and Emma just staring at them.

"Hey", Rachel said, Emma lifted her arms and her now empty sippycup fell to the floor. Ross got the hint and took his daughter from Rachel's arms. Emma curled herself up in his arms and let out a content sigh which made Rachel chuckle.

She turned to Ben, "Hey Ben", she greeted him.

"Hi", Ben said taking of his backpack and placing it on top of his small suitcase.

"Can I have something to drink too?", he asked.

"Sure, come one I'll fix you something up", Rachel took his jacket from him and hug it on a hook behind the door before she and Ben disappeared in the kitchen.

Ross watched them go as he softly rocked an almost sleeping Emma in his arms. He let out a lazy sigh as he walked to Emma's room. He noticed that Rachel had already set up a bed for Ben to sleep in. It made him smile. He truly hoped that Ben would continue to accept Rachel in his life as much as he did now. He gently put Emma down in her own bed and tugged her in. Kissing the top of her head softly, he slowly left the room dimming the lights to a minimum so that Ben could get in bed safely after he finished his drink.

He walked back to the living room. Ben walked past him with his toothbrush in his hands.

"Brush well", Ross said seriously, Ben just nodded. Ross chuckled, he was growing up so fast. Some days he still couldn't believe he was the father of two kids already but he wouldn't want it any other way.

Rachel emerged from the kitchen,

"Emma asleep again?", she asked.

"Yes, why was she awake?", Ross said curious.

"Bad dream, she was really upset", Rachel replied as she plopped down on the couch. Some how her heart was beating just a beat faster at the moment.

"I'm done dad", Ben said yawning and stretching tiredly.

"Okay let's get you tucked in then", Ross said. He took him by the hand and led him to Emma's bedroom.

"Goodnight!", Ben said over his shoulder to Rachel before he disappeared into the bedroom with Ross. He hurriedly got under the covers of the bed Rachel made for him letting out another big yawn.

"You want me to tell you a story?", Ross asked.

Ben shook his head, "No, I don't need that I'm a big boy now dad that is silly", he said grinning. His eyes were drooping already.

"You're never too big for stories!", Ross whispered mock shocked. Ben just shook his head weakly already dozing off. Ross ruffled the boy's hair for a moment.

"Goodnight", he whispered dimming all the lights.

When he returned in the living room again, he saw that Rachel was standing in front of the big window just staring ahead of her. Her hands were linked together and her thumbs were twiddling slightly, Ross knew she didn't even notice she was doing it. It was something she did unconsciously whenever she felt agitated or nervous and that made him wonder.

He softly made his way over to her. As he stood behind her he locked eyes with her through their reflection in the glass window. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and hugged her tight, tugging her back against his body. Rachel let out a small sigh as she leaned her head back. Ross took the silent hint and softly kissed her.

"What's the matter?", he whispered against her mouth.

Rachel broke the kiss to turn around in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she buried herself in her chest.

"Cold feet I guess", she said. Ross could hear the hesitation in her voice while she said it. He chuckled slightly as he caressed her back soothingly.

"Already? The wedding isn't until next week", he said jokingly. Rachel smiled despite herself.

She broke away from him slightly to look him in the eyes. Ross tugged some loose strands of silky blond hair from her face behind her ear.

"Aren't you scared?", she said suddenly adopting a very serious expression making Ross realize that she needed some serious reassuring.

He took her hand and led her to the couch where he sat down with her beside him.

"Why should I be scared?", he countered her previous question.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"I don't know, but this is a huge step for us. And believe me when I say that I am really happy about all of this and I can't wait to be married to you. But I can't help but have these lingering feelings of doubt when I think of all that we have been through to get here"

Ross watched her struggle for a moment, knowing that she wasn't finished yet.

"What if it goes wrong again?", she said softly looking into his eyes for some kind of clue as to what he thought of all of this.

Ross took a moment to mull her question over before he answered.

"I have been struggling with that same question ever since you stepped into my apartment that night you got of the plane. But more and more each day that question and all the doubts that come with it fade away because I know while we've been through so much, we both came out of it a lot stronger and more mature. I don't think we should dwell on the past and let that stand in the way of this amazing time we have right now. What happened in the past is in the past"

Ross let out a small sigh, "What we have, this bond we share, it's truly amazing and strong, it withheld so much and that only made it stronger I think. I can't imagine my life without you anymore and you have to admit that it feels …...right this time, even more then it already did".

Rachel rest her head against his shoulder as they both sat back against the back of the couch.

"You're great you know that? You always know what to do or say that makes me feel better", Rachel said suddenly.

"I'm flattered", Ross joked kissing her forehead.

Rachel chuckled at that.

"We are going to make it work, we made that promise and we're going to stick to it", she said strongly with a slight smile on her face.

Ross grinned."You bet!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm here to pick up my wedding dress", Rachel gave the woman behind the counter her reservation ticket that held the information needed to pick up her dress. Monica stood beside her with a dreamy look on her face.

"I remember when I got my dress........", she sighed.

"Yes I do too, vividly", Rachel said with a chuckle. Monica just shrugged her shoulders at that.

"Here it is Ms Greene", the woman walked around the counter so she could hand it carefully to Rachel. Rachel undid the zipper of the dress bag to check if she had the right one. Monica peeked in over her shoulder.

"It's gorgeous", she said in awe.

Rachel nodded with a smile, "I know, I fell in love with it the moment I saw it"

"Is the dress to your liking?", the salesclerk asked. Rachel just nodded as she zipped the bag up again.

"Yes thank you very much", she answered before she said goodbye and walked out of the store with an excited Monica next to her.

"I can't wait to see you in it, I just know you're going to look fantastic", she said.

"Thanks", Rachel said with a smile. They both got into Monica's Porsche ready to go home again.

When they arrived back at Ross and Rachel's apartment, they were greeted by silence.

"Where is everybody?",Monica wondered.

"I think Ross took Ben and Emma to the playground", Rachel replied. She walked to her bedroom to put the dress away.

"You're not trying it on?", Monica asked almost disappointed as she followed her friend.

"No, It's custom made, I had to be measured for a long time for it so I know it fits, the prototype fit perfectly", Rachel said with a chuckle. She knew how much Monica would love it to see her wear it right now just to see how she looked but she wanted to surprise everyone at the wedding so there couldn't be any peeking. Not even by her best friend.

She carefully opened up a rather large suitcase and placed the bagged dress on the bottom of it.

"There now I know Ross won't be able to sneak a peek at it", Rachel said as she closed the suitcase with a combination lock. She entered the code and shoved it back under her bed.

"Smooth", Monica said with a grin.

They went into the living room. The door opened to reveal a rather muddy Ben and Emma. Ross followed in also looking kind of dirty.

"What happened to you?", Rachel and Monica said simultaneously.

"We had a water gun fight and then made mud pies in the sandbox!", Ben said proudly. Emma just yelled with him jumping up and down.

Ross grinned sheepishly, "Sorry about the mess"

"Aunt Monica!", Ben ran up to her and hugged her tight before Monica could stop him so now she was covered in mud too.

"Hi Ben", Monica gave him a quick hug before she pushed him slightly away from her."Aw now I am all muddy too", she joked.

Ben laughed before he turned to Rachel, without a word he hugged her too. Rachel hugged im back for a moment caught of guard.

"Now you are muddy too", Ben said smiling up at her.

"Yes, now we all have to take a bath", Rachel said.

Ben scrunched up his nose , "I didn't think about that", he said.

"Well tough luck, come on I'll get you're bath ready", Ross said handing Emma over to Rachel.

He and Ben disappeared in the bathroom.

"Look at you, all dirty. Did you have fun?", Rachel asked her daughter in a high voice.

"Yes", Emma simply replied.

"She is growing up so fast", Monica remarked while she put on her jacket.

"You're going? Aren't staying over for dinner?"

"No, seeing you with Emma and Ben makes me realize that I miss Jack and Erica so I'm going home. Chandler should be home now too.", she gave Emma a quick kiss on the cheek and squeezed Rachel's arm for a moment.

"Next time we meet we'll be on our way, I'm so excited!"

Rachel laughed at that, "You're almost even more excited then I am, something isn't right", she joked. She opened the door for Monica so she could get out.

"Bye Emma", Monica said.

"Bye bye", Emma replied waving her small hands at her. Rachel closed the door behind her.

Emma yawned slightly and curled herself up in her mothers arms.

"Hey now, don't fall asleep yet, we need to clean you up first and have some dinner", Rachel said. She kissed the top of Emma's head before she put her back on the floor. Emma followed her into the kitchen.

"Emma bath?", she asked cutely. Rachel replied with a yes and Emma squealed. The girl loved taking bath's.

She ran out of the kitchen. Rachel chuckled to her self as she put the lasagna Monica had brought with her today in the oven. She took a towel and brushed some of the dried mud from her clothes where Ben had hugged her.

When she returned to the living room, Ross and Ben emerged from the bathroom. Emma was babbling loudly following them around.

"I'm clean again", Ben said matter of factly.

"Yes but this little monster here is not, what do you say Emma, wanna take a bath now?", Ross chuckled as he picked his daughter up.

"Bath!",. Emma squealed out loud throwing her hands up in the air. Ross laughed at that.

"She likes baths?", Ben wondered.

"Yes don't you?", Rachel said.

"No", Ben sat down on the couch next to her.

"Do you?", he countered.

"Yes I like baths ", Rachel said.

"Why?", Ben asked.

Rachel thought for a moment, "Well, it's kind of relaxing and you get all nice and clean again".

Ben mulled that one over for a bit.

"I still don't like baths", he stated. He stared at Rachel for a moment seeming to think of something.

Rachel began to feel a little uncomfortable under his intense stare.

"What is the matter?", she asked curiously.

"Nothing", Ben said looking away., "can I watch TV?"

Rachel gave him a confused look but shrugged it off, "sure but just till dinner okay", she turned the TV on and passed the remote to Ben.

"Okay",he replied already absorbed in the cartoon channel. Rachel stood up to check on the lasagna. She couldn't help but wonder why Ben had been staring at her in such an intense way. She had the feeling something was on his mind but maybe he didn't want her to know. She closed the oven and set it to cook for another ten minutes.

She began to set the dinner table, Ross would be done bathing Emma soon and then they could eat. She was getting kind of hungry.

Ben entered the kitchen, "Can I have some water?", he asked.

Rachel nodded handing him a small glass of water which he took gratefully , he sat at the table and slowly sipped it.

"You can take it with you to the living room and watch Tv", Rachel said when she noticed that he took a seat at the table.

"Dinner isn't ready for another ten minutes"

"I don't want to watch TV anymore, I don't like the cartoon that is on now", Ben said.

"Can I help you set the table?", he asked eagerly.

"Sure", Rachel handed him the plates she was holding.

"Careful", she warned him.

"I know", Ben countered, he placed the plates neatly on their designated spots. Then he took the silverware from her hands and placed everything in the right spot. Rachel watched him in awe.

"Wow you're good at setting the table!", she complimented him.

"Yes my moms taught me", Ben said proudly as he sat back at the table again when he was finished.

He watched Rachel take the lasagna out of the oven and place it on the kitchen counter to cool down for a bit. He scrunched his nose up in concentration while he kept staring at her.

Rachel was too busy to notice it at first but when she turned around she was almost caught of guard by the intense stare he gave her. She put her oven mitts away and faced him. She turned his chair a bit so she could crouch down in front of him.

"Is something bothering you?", she asked

Ben started to shake his head ,"No", he said looking away.

"Are you sure?", Rachel asked not entirely convinced of his answer.

Ben looked down at his hands, his cheeks were slowly turning red. Rachel chuckled softly to herself as she ruffled his hair for a moment.

"Okay if you say so I'll believe you, but don't hesitate to ask me something or talk to me about stuff that might be bothering you okay. I won't laugh at you or think you're silly", she said reassuringly.

"Really?", Ben asked suddenly looking up at her again.

"That's a promise", Rachel said with a slight smile.

Ben smiled too, but the blush on his cheeks remained.

"So does that mean you wanted to ask me something?", Rachel inquired again.

"Yes", Ben said looking down at his hands again, "But can I ask it later? I don't want to ask it now", he said.

"Okay", Rachel said. Ben gave her a grateful look.

"Alright", Rachel said standing up again, "Why don't you go and call your dad and sister to the table?".

"Okay!", Ben said as he hurriedly climbed out of his chair. He ran towards the bathroom yelling on the top of his lungs.

"Dad , Emma dinner time!", he knocked on the bathroom door. It almost immediately opened revealing a soaking wet Ross and a dry and clean Emma.

Ben gave his father a look before he burst out laughing.

"Dad you can't take a bath with your clothes on", he laughed.

"I didn't!", Ross said mock offended, "this little one here splashed me".

Emma started laughing too.

Ross chuckled to himself, '''Ben can you take Emma to the kitchen with you? I'm going to change ".

"Okay dad, come on Emma", Ben said still grinning. He took the little girl's hand and slowly walked her over to the kitchen.

Rachel turned around when she heard them enter.

"Dad told me to bring Emma to you because he needs to change , his clothes are all wet. He says Emma did it", Ben stated,"but I think he took a bath with his clothes on, that's silly huh?", he said smiling brightly.

Rachel lifted Emma into her highchair.

"Really silly", she answered Ben's question with a chuckle. They all sat down and waited for Ross to join them.

"Smells good in here", Ross remarked when he entered the kitchen.

"Finally!", Ben said, "We're really hungry!"

Ross just shared a look with Rachel at that.

After dinner Ben helped Ross with the dishes while Rachel took an almost sleeping Emma to bed. She softly tugged the girl in, "Night sweety", she whispered.

She went into her and Ross' room to gather some comfortable clothes before she made her way to the bathroom to take a relaxing bath.

Meanwhile Ross was watching TV with Ben.

"When are we leaving on the plane dad?", Ben said suddenly.

"In two days, why?", Ross asked curiously.

"Just wondering, I can't wait! Is it true you don't have to sit down all the time?"

"Yes but that doesn't mean you get to run around ", Ross said seriously.

"Yeah I know but I can walk right, and is it true you can't use the toilet because it will suck you down and then you fall of the plane?", Ben asked with a frightened look on his face.

Ross laughed at that, "No that's not true, who told you that?"

"My friend , he said that happened to his grandpa"

"Well it's not true, there is no such thing trust me", Ross said. Kids were so gullible.

Ben thought for a moment,"Well I'd rather still not use the toilet I think", he stated.

Ross chuckled at that. Ben sat back against him letting out a huge yawn.

"Looks like someone is tired, let's get you to bed"

"No I don't want to go to bed yet!", Ben said sitting up straight almost immediately.

"And why is that?", Ross said.

"Because I want aunt Rachel to tug me in so I can ask her my question", Ben replied blushing slightly.

"What question?", Ross said, his curiosity was peaked now seeing Ben blush at that.

"Just a question, I didn't want to ask her before but now I do so please dad? Can I stay up so I can?"

Ross nodded, "Okay fine but what is this question? You got me curious"

Ben shook his head, "I can't tell you that dad, that is a secret", he said softly.

Ross lifted his brows at that. What ever it was he was sure Rachel would tell him later.

Rachel emerged from the bathroom.

"What are you watching?", she asked.

Both Ben and Ross turned to look at her.

"We weren't really watching TV, I was having a rather curious conversation with Ben here, apparently he wants to ask you a question?", Ross said giving her a questioning look. Ben just looked down at his hands blushing.

"Yes that is right", Rachel said smiling. She turned to Ben, "Do you want to ask me now?"

Ben nodded and stood up.

"Will you tuck me in?", he asked seriously."I don't want dad to hear"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at that and at Ross' slightly offended facial expression.

"Sure but you better give your dad a big hug because I think he is feeling a little left out now"

"Goodnight", Ben said hugging his father tightly. He grabbed a hold of Rachel's outstretched hand and followed her to Emma's bedroom. Ross just watched them leave, still a bit stunned at what just had transpired before his very eyes. He chuckled to himself shaking his head. Kids these days!

Rachel helped Ben into his bed , he sat up with his back against the pillows. Rachel sat on the bed next to him.

"So what is this question? You got me curious", she whispered with a smile.

Ben looked past her at Emma, almost as if he wanted to be sure that she was sleeping. He looked up at her searching her face for something Rachel didn't know.

"Promise not to laugh at me?", he said seriously.

"I promise", Rachel reassured him.

"Okay", he looked down for a moment collecting his courage to ask his question. Rachel found it really endearing seeing him act all nervously like that. She wrapped an arm around his small shoulders to reassure him a little.

"Do you love my daddy?"

Rachel lifted her brows at that, "Yes very much", she admitted honestly.

"Okay", Ben said but he wasn't finished yet, "When you marry my dad, does that mean I have to call you mom too? Does that mean I have three moms then?", he whispered that question so fast and soft that Rachel almost didn't catch it. His face was bright red, she could see his blush in the dimmed lights of the room.

She thought for a moment, how was she supposed to answer that question? She could see he was struggling with it and she wanted to reassure him but she couldn't find the right words right away.

"It's a stupid question isn't it?", Ben said suddenly.

"No it's not, it's a good question", Rachel said

"Okay", he looked at her eagerly awaiting her answer.

"You know what?", Rachel said.

"What?"

"I think it's up to you whether you want to call me that or not.", she said.

"Would you be angry if I didn't?", Ben asked timidly.

"No of course not!", Rachel hugged him tight for a moment before she looked him in the eyes.

"Why would I be angry about that silly, you already have two wonderful moms, I can understand it will be confusing for you to have another one! You don't need to call me that, if you don't want too."

"But what do I call you then?", Ben said confused.

"Just call me by my name", Rachel said smiling.

"Really?"

'Really", Rachel assured him.

"Okay", Ben said. He looked at her for a moment before he got up from under the covers to crawl into her lap. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her. Rachel felt a warmness spread through her whole being at that affectionate gesture and she hugged him back.

Ben sat back to look at her.

"Can I ask one more question? I promise I'll go to sleep right after it!", he whispered.

"Hmm well okay but you have to keep that promise!", Rachel joked.

"I will! Okay uhm", he hesitated for a moment but then adopted a determined look on his face.

"When we get back from where you are going to marry, can I come visit you and dad?"

"Of course! You're aways welcome here ,you are part of this family too", Rachel said confused.

"No I mean, can I come over more? Like sleep over more?"

Rachel needed a moment to figure out what he meant by that exactly.

"You mean come over for longer then just a weekend in two weeks?"

"Yes!", Ben said.

"Yes you can come over for as much and as long as you like", she said with a smile.

Ben smiled at that.

"Thank you Rachel", he said giving her another tight hug before he crawled back under the covers. Rachel tugged him in.

"Is that all?", she asked.

"Yes, are you going to tell daddy about my questions?"

"Only if you want me to", Rachel said.

Ben thought for a moment, "Okay you can tell him", he yawned. He got comfortable under the covers and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight Rachel", he said softly.

"Goodnight Ben", Rachel replied, she dimmed the lights completely and softly closed the door behind her. When she returned to the living room, Ross gave her a curious look.

"Wow you stayed away long, I was afraid you'd fallen asleep too."

"No, I just had a rather sweet conversation with your son", Rachel said softly. She sat on the couch next to Ross to tell him what just had transpired in the bedroom...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rachel looked around the spacious hotel suite. It was more like a small apartment then a hotel room. It had two separate bedrooms a small kitchen and a small living area.

"Wow this place is nice", Phoebe remarked."You can see the beach from here! It's practically under us"

Rachel nodded, they had arrived in Hawaii at last. She was just a few days away from marrying Ross and the closer the date came the more impatient she became. She realized that she just couldn't wait to be married to the man she loved so dearly.

"Wow have you seen my bed? It's huge!", Ben said excitedly as he ran up to her and Phoebe.

"Aunt Phoebe you gotta see it come on!", he grabbed her hand and tugged her to one of the bedrooms.

Rachel chuckled.

"Wow nice room", Chandler Monica and Joey piled in through the door. They had already taken care of their stuff.

"Hey guys", Rachel greeted them. She noticed Ross coming in after them with Emma in the stroller.

"Tomorrow we have an appointment with the location manager for some last minutes adjustments okay sweety?", he said

"Okay", Rachel said. She put away Emma and Ben's stuff in one of the spacious walk in closets.

"So you decided to leave Erica and Jack with the sitter?", Ross wondered looking at both Chandler and Monica.

"Yes after much and careful consideration we thought it would be best since they are so small still", Monica said softly, "but we'll be calling home every evening were here you can bet on that", she shot Chandler a warning glare not to argue with her on that one so he just sighed rolling his eyes.

"Mommy", Emma lifted her arms up indicating she wanted to be lifted up.

Rachel crouched down and picked the little girl up.

"Where's Ben?", Ross asked.

"His and Emma' s room showing Phoebe his bed", Rachel laughed. Joey and Chandler shared a look.

"Wow he is starting young Ross, better be careful", Chandler joked. Joey chuckled.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I'd say let's hit the pool!"

Chandler and Monica agreed with him.

"You guys joining us too later?", Monica asked Ross and Rachel.

"Joining you where?", Phoebe suddenly said emerging from Ben and Emma's room.

"The pool", Joey said .

"Oh I'll join too, and so will Mike".

"Can I come with you to the pool?", Ben asked hopeful.

"I don't know, ask your dad first", Phoebe said with a smile.

"Dad can I go to the pool with aunt Phoebe and the rest? I'll behave I promise!", he pleaded.

Ross had to laugh at that, "Sure you can".

"Yay!", Ben yelled excitedly before he turned to Rachel and Emma, "Can I have my swim trunks Rachel?", he asked.

"Go get it, it's in your own suitcase in the closet", Rachel said.

"Emma too! Emma too!", the little girl kicked her little legs so Rachel would let her go. She ran after Ben towards the closet.

"No Emma you can't go swimming, you're too little", Ben said.

"NO" Emma said firmly, "Emma too!"

Ben sighed and proceeded to get his swim stuff and a towel from his suitcase. He walked back to where Phoebe was waiting for him, the others had already left.

Emma followed him swiftly.

"I'm ready to go!", he said excited.

"Okay let's go then", Phoebe said, she crouched down to Emma's size and tussled the little girl's hair.

"Emma too?", the girl asked hopeful.

"Emma has got to stay here with mommy and daddy okay", Phoebe said . Emma's eyes watered at that and she let out a wail as she ran back towards Ross who lifted her up.

"Sssh don't cry Emma we'll go too in a minute okay?", he said softly.

Ben and Phoebe turned and left the room leaving Ross Rachel and a crying Emma behind.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rachel tossed and turned in bed, she was in her own room while Ross was with Chandler It would be her wedding day tomorrow and she needed to get some sleep but she couldn't.

She was nervous again and she knew she didn't have to be. Everything was taken care of, there wasn't a single thing that hadn't been checked over and over again mostly by Monica. Everything was ready for the big day. Emma and Ben were sleeping in their own room, they'd have a big day tomorrow too.

Rachel sat up, she needed to have a drink because her throat was dry. She carefully walked across the spacious room on her toes, she didn't want to wake Monica who had claimed the big comfy sofa as her bed for the night.

Unfortunately faith was having other plans for she stubbed her toe against the kitchen table.

"Ouch dammit!", she whispered rather loudly. Monica stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes. She could've sworn she heard a noise. She sat up to investigate her surroundings and noticed the kitchen lights were on.

She carefully got up to make her way into the kitchen where Rachel was sitting at the table sipping some juice.

"Hey", Monica greeted her grabbing a glass of water.

"Hey", Rachel greeted back. She let out a large yawn and stretched out.

"What are you doing up already?", Monica sat down on one of the chairs by the table with a questioning look on her face.

"Can't sleep", Rachel answered. Monica grabbed her hand to squeeze it slightly for a moment.

"It's going to be alright", she said.

"I know", Rachel said, a smile appeared on her face. She stood up to put her glass into the sink.

"I'm going to check up on Emma and Ben and then I'll try to get some sleep", she said softly. She made her way over to the kids room, she opened the door and peeked inside. Both Emma and Ben were sound asleep.

She walked into the room to sit onto the corner of Emma's bed, somehow just watching them sleep calmed her down. She wondered what Ross was doing, if he were sleeping or maybe he was awake like her being nervous.

Rachel couldn't be more right about that for Ross was indeed awake just staring at the ceiling of Monica and Chandlers room. He was sleeping on the sofa but he didn't mind that because it was rather comfortable. He let out a sigh as he placed his hands behind his head.

He hoped that everything would go alright, that the weather would be good and that he wouldn't screw up some how.

"Better say the right name", he jokingly whispered to no one in particular. He turned to his side facing the large glass doors that let to a small balcony. The moon was out casting an almost magical glow. Ross stood up, he couldn't sleep so he might as well get some fresh air. He softly opened one of the glass doors careful not to wake Chandler.

He inhaled the salty beach air. The view from up the balcony was simply stunning. The moon made the sea water sparkle, he could see it in the short distance. He was happy that the hotel was just a ten minute walk from the beach, it was perfect. He squinted his eyes too look at a particular part of the beach. It was hard to see because it was a bit further away but he could make the shape out.

"This going to be perfect", he said to himself with a chuckle.

"Yes it really will be", came a soft voice from behind him. Before he could turn around to see who was speaking to him, two small arms wrapped themselves around him from behind.

"Rach?", Ross whispered surprised.

"Shh", Rachel countered as she snuggled into his back, "You don't want to wake up Chandler"

Ross smiled slightly at that, "Aren't we supposed to NOT see each other?"

"Yeah well, I just had to see you, I can't sleep", Rachel said softly.

Ross turned in her arms so he could wrap his all around her enveloping her in a full body hug.

"I couldn't sleep either, I'm too excited", he countered. Rachel let out a content sigh as she looked up at him. She stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft lingering kiss on his mouth.

Ross smiled against her mouth, "I'm really beginning to like this surprise nightly visit", he joked before he deepened the kiss , his hands found their way into her hair softly playing with the silken strands.

"Me too", Rachel said when they broke their kiss, "I needed that".

She hugged him tightly once more before she let go of him.

"I better get back to bed, we have a long and hectic day in front of us",she squeezed his hand for a moment before she turned to leave.

"Rachel?", Ross whispered suddenly stopping her in her tracks.

"Yes?"

"I love you", Ross said with a soft smile.

"I love you too", Rachel said smiling also. She softly closed the door behind her and just in time too for Chandler emerged from the suite bedroom.

"Who was in here?", he asked suspiciously.

"No one", Ross said serious, "Just me uhm talking to myself I cant sleep".

"Oh", Chandler gave him a curious look but shrugged it off. He turned around and disappeared into his room again yawning loudly.

Ross turned back to the moon in the sky, softly touching his mouth with his fingers. A smile was on his face when he finally turned back to catch some much needed sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm finally getting the change to see you in your dress!", Monica said excited as she waited for Rachel to emerge from her room. Rachel chuckled to herself hearing that, she couldn't avoid Monica seeing her before the wedding since she helped her with her hair and make-up.

"Come on Rachel!", Monica was getting impatient. The door to the suite opened revealing Phoebe.

"Hey, Ben forgot his tie, is it here?", she asked hurriedly.

Monica looked around before she spotted it draped over the sofa.

"Here it is", she handed the tie over to phoebe.

"Thanks, now I better get back before Emma and Ben drive Mike nuts", she joked closing the door behind her.

"Who was that?", Rachel said curious.

"Oh that was Phoebe , she came to pick up..", Monica stopped talking when she saw her soon to be sister law standing in front of her in one of the most gorgeous dresses ever.

"His tie...", she finished needlessly.

"Oh my God you look so wonderful", she said excited . There were tears in her eyes.

"Really?", Rachel said softly blushing slightly. She brushed down her skirt some more not really knowing what to do while Monica was walking all around her admiring every little detail on the dress.

It was pure white and long it reached almost till the floor. The top was tight , it showed of her curves in a beautiful way while the skirt of the dress flowed gracefully down her legs. On the front were tiny little sparkling stones, elegantly decorating the top of the dress. Around her neck was the silver necklace she received from Ross when he asked her to marry him. Her hair was up in an elegant bun with a few strands framing her face. She wore white gloves that reached till her elbows and little strapped sandal like shoes that weren't really visible under the long skirt.

Monica laid a hand over her chest as she looked her friend over one last time.

"It's gorgeous", she said in awe. Rachel smiled at that. It took a lot to render Monica speechless so for it to happen now had to mean she did look good. She walked over to the big mirror in the bathroom again to check herself over for the last time.

"I can't believe it's really going to happen today", came a voice from the doorway. Both Rachel and Monica turned around in surprise.

"Mom", Rachel said smiling.

Sandra greeted both Rachel and Monica with a light hug.

"Are you ready dear? Your father is here with the car", she said.

Rachel took one deep breath and nodded her head firmly,"Yes I'm ready let's go."

Meanwhile Ross was nervously walking around the area where it would all happen. He greeted arriving guests and just tried to keep his nerves under control. Luckily the weather was great, the sun was shining brightly. He inhaled the salty air of the Ocean under him as he stood on the edge of the high cliff he would soon say 'I do' on. There was a big white wooden bow where he would be standing with Rachel, it was decorated with white lilies her favorite flowers. The little flowers were literally everywhere.

More and more guests piled in.

"Mom!", he heard Ben yell and saw the boy run into Carol's arms. Carol hugged him before she walked over to Ross to greet him.

"You made it, where is Susan?",Ross said kissing her cheek.

"She'll be right down", Carol said looking around taking in her surroundings,

"You guys sure picked a wonderful spot to marry", she complimented.

"Guess what mom", Ben suddenly said,"I get to be the ringbearer with Emma, isn't that cool?!"

Carol smiled at him, "That is great!"

Ben smiled before he turned to Ross,"Good luck dad! I need to go to aunt Phoebe now", he ran away hastily.

"He seems pretty excited about all of this", Carol said.

Ross just nodded, a happy smile on his face. He was so ready now, he couldn't wait to see Rachel walking down the isle.

"I'm going to go see where Susan is, hang in there", Carol said laughing noticing that Ross didn't even hear half of what she said.

Soft music began to play signaling that it was time for the guests to take their seats . Joey walked up to Ross and gave him a so called man hug

"Thanks for letting me do this", he said smiling, "It's wonderful to be a minister at your friend's wedding", Joey gave him a thumbs up and took his position.

Ross gave him a thumbs up back before he sighed deeply and turned to watch the isle where Rachel would be appearing in a few minutes. He swallowed thickly calming himself with a soft whispered pep talk.

Mike began to play the wedding march signalizing that Rachel was on her way. Ross looked ahead of him, eagerly awaiting her arrival and when she finally did, his heart skipped several beats.

She was so beautiful, the way she walked at her dad's side was mesmerizing, Ross couldn't take his eyes off of her until she finally reached him. Dr Greene kissed her cheek before he handed her to Ross.

"Hey you"she whispered smiling up at him.

"Hi"Ross said still in awe"You look gorgeous"

Rachel blushed at that.

Joey cleared his throat getting everyones attention. He started the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved, friends and family. We are gathered here to witness the joining of this happy couple in front of me.", Joey grinned before he continued.

"Before we proceed to the vows I'd like to say one thing, What took you so long?!", Joey said with a smile. Both Ross and Rachel chuckled at that.

"Okay getting serious again, both Ross and Rachel have written their own vows, take each others right hand please", Joey instructed.

Ross took Rachel's right hand in his.

"Ross please start".

Ross swallowed nervously as he looked deep into Rachel's eyes.

He cleared his throat before he started saying the things he learned by heart ever since the day they became engaged to each other.

"_Rachel, you can't imagine how many times I've dreamed of this happening. This perfect moment that I know now that no one can ever take away from me again. I'm standing here in front of you and I can't barely comprehend how happy I am right now. If I had to express it into words I couldn't because there are just no words to describe this incredible feeling you give me. I know I made some mistakes in the past and I know we both left those behind. I'm ready to make a fresh start and I can't imagine me spending the rest of my life with someone else then you. I love you, I always have and I always will_", Ross ended his speech softly. Rachel blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.

She let out a nervous chuckle before she stood up straight with a determined expression on her face.

"_Ross, when I think back on all that we have been through, on all that has happened between us I can't believe we actually made it this far. If someone had told me back then that I would stand here in front of you ready to get married, I would have laughed at them. But now I can't be happier. I realize how much I love you and how much I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We made a promise to each other and I'm sticking to it, I don't want to lose you ever again._", Rachel swallowed thickly, her voice was trembling.

"_You truly are my Lobster and I love you so so much. Thank you for coming into my life and sweeping me off my feet_"

She dabbed at her eyes as she finished.

Phoebe was smiling to herself after she heard Rachel say that. She nudged Mike.

"See didn't I tell you", she said smug. Mike just shrugged his shoulder at her grinning widely.

Joey swallowed the lump in his throat before he continued.

"That was beautiful, could I have the ring bearers up front now please?'

"That's us", Ben whispered excitedly to Emma, they both grabbed one of Monica's hands who led them to the altar. They both handed the rings to Joey then they walked back to their seats both blushing from the intense attention the guests had given them in that brief moment.

"Okay Ross, slide this ring onto Rachel's finger and answer my question", Joey said.

Ross slid the ring onto Rachel's finger.

"Ross Geller, will you take to you Rachel Greene as you beloved wife and cherish and love her in good times, bad times for richer for poor and in sickness and in health. What is your answer?"

"I will", Ross said strongly smiling reassuringly at her.

"Rachel take the ring and slide it onto Ross' finger and answer my question"

Rachel took the ring, her hand was trembling but she manged to slide it onto Ross' finger.

"Rachel Greene will you take to you Ross Geller as your beloved husband and cherish and love him in good times, bad times , for richer for poor and in sickness and in health? What is your answer?"

"I will", Rachel said with a sob, her emotions became too much to handle.

"Then by the power invested in me by the United States of America, New-York and the Internet, I pronounce you now husband and wife. You may kiss the bride", Joey said excited.

Ross wiped some of Rachel's tears from her cheeks before he leaned in and softly brushed his lips against hers.

"I love you", he whispered. Rachel hugged him to her burying her face in his chest while everyone applauded them with happy smiles on their faces.

They laced their fingers together as they walked down the isle again, followed by their close friends. They walked into the big reception room where the celebration would take part...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rachel looked around the spacious reception room, music was playing loudly and a lot of people were dancing. She laughed when she saw Chandler dance in a way only he could pull off.

"I think I'm tucking this little one in", Ross said. Emma was in his arms almost fast asleep.

"Ben is staying with Carol and Susan for the night, he really missed them although he won't admit it", Ross said with a smile.

"I'll go with you, I can use some fresh air", Rachel said. They silently left the buzzing party only notifying Monica of their leaving. Both inhaled the fresh ocean air as they walked the short distance back to the hotel. When they arrived at their suite, Ross tugged Emma in. Rachel walked onto the balcony, it was similar to the one that was in Chandler and Monica's room. She reached up and undid the bun in her hair letting it fall freely to her shoulders.

She felt two warm hands on her shoulders softly massaging her skin.

"What a day", she said sighing happily.

Ross just nodded as he hugged her from behind.

"I wonder when people will notice we left, I doubt Monica will tell anyone",he said with a mischievous smile.

Rachel turned into his arms kissing him deeply.

"How about we find that out tomorrow? ", she whispered seductively.

"I have some other things I am wondering about and those involve only you me and a lot of touching", she whispered into his ear.

"I like the way you think", Ross grinned against her lips before he deepened the kiss and they both lost themselves in the magical moment.

END!

Thank you for reading, reviews ae greatly appreciated.


	13. Little Red Heart

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**11; Little Red Heart**

**A/n; ****Well then, after a little detour in form of the two ficlet Specials, it is now time to get back to working with my notes in my notebook to create the next ficlet. **

*****Warning!*****

**This ficlet is rated R/MA, which means it's dealing with adult themes and situations of a sexual matter. Don't read if you are under age or offended by such material. I will not be held responsible for your actions! **

**And now after that little announcement, let's get back to the ficlet. This one takes place directly after Ross discovers Rachel went and got a tattoo! Oh and let me tell you something, Ross is definitely showing us a different side to him which I am convinced he has seeing all the hot hints we get for the RnR love life on the show.*winks***

**Enjoy.**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"**Well?" Rachel said hesitantly.**

**Ross looked at the small heart shaped tattoo on her hip for a moment before he replied.**

"**Well it's really...sexy. I wouldn't have thought it would be but..." Ross brushed his fingertips lightly over the little heart, "wow." he finished.**

**Rachel stared at him for a moment.**

"**Really?"**

"**Yeah, so uh...is it sore? Can you do stuff?"**

"**I guess." Rachel said a bit overwhelmed.**

"**Hey, save us some pizza." Ross said suddenly ****looking**** over at Phoebe, Monica and Richard who had been following their conversation with interest. Ross laced his fingers with Rachel's and almost pulled her with him to her bedroom A mischievous smile was around his lips as he heard the door slam behind them.**

"I hope they keep it down in there" Phoebe said with a funny expression on her face. Monica and Richard nodded in agreement.

Ross turned around and pressed Rachel softly against her bedroom door before he swooped in for a much needed passionate lip lock. He let his hands roam freely all over her back while he gently squeezed her into him.

Rachel gasped for air the moment they parted from their kiss.

"Wow!" She whispered breathlessly.

Ross chuckled as he suckled on her neck.

"If you think that way about a single kiss, you better prepare yourself for things still to come." Ross whispered seductively in her ear. Rachel shivered involuntarily at that.

"And all because of my tattoo! Thought you hated them?" Rachel arched her head backwards so he could have better access to her soft skin. Her heartbeat was already speeding up rapidly.

"I do, I hate them with a passion, but on you it looks so damn good that I can't help myself." Ross kissed her hard on the lips again while wrapping his arms around her so he could lift her off her feet.

Rachel let out a soft surprised yelp when he carried her to the bed not once breaking their kiss.

He gently lowered her onto the soft mattress and pinned her there with a strong hold on her arms, strong enough to hold her down but gentle enough so she wouldn't hurt. That was something he never wanted to do.

Rachel raised a brow at his sudden display of dominance.

"What's gotten in to you?" She asked curious.

Ross shrugged his shoulders while a mischievous grin was on his face.

"Hard to put in to words...how about I'll just show you?"

Rachel couldn't help but giggle at that. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down till their noses were touching slightly.

"I'd like that."

"That's good." Ross suddenly let go of her, he took her hands in his and pulled her up in a standing position.

"But you have to be quiet." He said seductively, he slowly traced her spine under her shirt.

"You don't want the others to hear you now do you?" He said suddenly squeezing her butt. Rachel gasped arching her hips into him involuntarily.

"Who cares about them?!" Rachel moaned softly, Ross his hands were still on her behind, kneading her buttocks in a slow paced rhythm.

"I do, I don't want anyone to hear the stuff that is only reserved for my ears." He whispered intense as he stared into her eyes.

Rachel nodded absentmindedly, she didn't know why exactly but the way Ross was talking to her and the way he was acting now turned her on so bad. She let out a long sigh closing her eyes as she felt his skilled lips and tongue at the crook of her neck again.

Ross smiled inwardly, he would show her a good time.

He turned them around as he took the few steps backwards to the bed again. When his knees hit the edge of her mattress, he just let himself fall onto the soft material never loosing his grip on the woman in his arms.

He bend one of his knees so that Rachel could lie on top of him in a more comfortable way. He felt her bury her face into the crook of his neck when he started to explore her back with his hands. He let his hands roam freely all over her, occasionally giving her a gentle squeeze here and there.

His hands traveled further down until they reached the hem of her shirt. Ross slid his hands under it letting his fingertips slightly tickle her warm soft skin.

He placed an open mouthed kiss behind her ear as his hands trailed further up her back again but this time taking the shirt with him. With some maneuvering, he slid it over her head. He immediately latched his mouth onto her bare shoulder, softly nipping at the sensitive skin there.

Rachel's heavy breathing was music to his ears. He wrapped his arms all around her to turn them around. Rachel looked up at him with half lidded eyes.

Ross gave her a soft smile before he dipped his head down to steal a soft kiss from her. He trailed featherlight little kisses all over her face slowly moving down to her shoulders and chest. His hands were on her hips as he trailed a trail of wet open mouthed kisses from her chest to her stomach. Reaching her bellybutton, he slowly dipped his tongue in and out occasionally giving her a soft love bite or two.

Rachel gasped when she felt his hands on the button of her pants. Anticipation filled her whole being when she felt his skilled fingers undo it and pull the zipper down tortuously slow.

Ross enjoyed watching her reactions to his gentle teasing. He smiled to himself as he kissed his way back up to her again. He wiped some of her hair out of her slightly flustered face.

Rachel reached up to him, taking his face in her hands she pulled him down so she could kiss him but he would have nothing of that. He grabbed her hands and pinned them down earning a rather amusing look from her.

"Today, I'm in charge." Ross whispered into her ear. Rachel shivered at that, a furious blush spread all over her face.

"Oh really? And how do you think you can control me?" Rachel whispered back.

"Oh I have my ways." To empathize that point, Ross cupped her breasts in his hands and squeezed them softly but rhythmically. She gasped out almost immediately going limp under his ministrations.

"That's not fair." She murmured with closed eyes.

Ross grinned never stopping his movements on her. He watched her flushed face.

"There are a lot of things in this world that aren't fair." He said with a grin as he stopped his wonderful magic on her chest. Rachel started to protest but he shushed her with a kiss.

"Turn around." He whispered against her mouth. Rachel raised her brows at that.

Ross smiled at her reaction. "I just want to see the tattoo again."

Rachel gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him one bit.

"You're up to something." She said. Ross laughed at that.

"I'm not." He said softly.

Rachel smiled against his mouth when he stole another kiss from her. When they broke away she slowly turned to her stomach, comfortably resting her head on her pillow. She gave him a sideways look.

Ross bend over her to whisper in her ear.

"Now where were we?" He licked the back of her neck slowly trailing down to her shoulders. He covered her back in light kisses as his hands trailed further down to the clasp of her bra.

"Firstly, let's get rid of this." He unhooked it and slid it down her arms. Rachel leaned up a bit so he could completely remove it.

"Much better." Ross whispered against her skin where the clasp had been previously. His hands caressed her sides softly till he reached the rim of her pants.

Rachel felt him pull her pants just a little bit downwards till the little red heart was visible on the back of her hip. She gasped when she felt his hot mouth on it, gently sucking on the still sensitive skin. She had expected it to hurt a little but instead it felt almost too good. When he blew softly onto the heart, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"It's really nicely done." Ross said softly against her skin.

"Really?"

"Yes, though I must say that I'm glad you didn't get a big tattoo."

Rachel chuckled at that, "Well I almost didn't even get this one because of what you said before."

Ross raised his brows at that before a gentle smile appeared on his face. He pulled on her shoulder gently so that she was lying on her side. He spooned her back gently turning her face towards him.

"You're so amazing." He said with admiration.

Rachel blushed, he always knew how to melt her into a puddle of mush with a few simple words.

She felt one of his hands on her hip lightly squeezing her skin. His other arm was wrapped under neath her around her shoulders. She kissed the inside of his wrist as she laced their fingers together.

Ross shivered at that small but effective gesture of affection. He gently began pulling her pants downwards over her hips and thighs until it was completely off.

"How come I have to be almost naked and you still have all your clothes on?" Rachel moaned softly when she felt his hand explore her stomach again going lower and lower.

"I'll get naked, don't you worry about that." Ross joked with a grin. He kissed her shoulder while his hand gently began to tease her through the fabric of her panties.

Rachel let out a loud moan when she felt him caress her in a most arousing way.

Ross gently hushed her by laying his other hand slightly over her mouth.

"Shh, be quiet baby, remember the others are right outside your door" He whispered into her ear never stopping his movements on her.

His other arm curled around her in a way so that he could reach her chest. He slowly started to massage her breasts in sync with his movements between her legs.

Rachel bit her lip in order to keep quiet but it was hard when he was pleasuring her in such a good way. She shut her eyes tightly covering her mouth with her own hands as good as she could. Ross watched her trying to desperately keep her voice down as she gasped out repeatedly.

He suckled on her earlobe, immensely enjoying himself. He felt her hips arch back into him and gasped out softly into her ear. He gently rocked his hips into her making sure she could feel just how aroused he was by her right now.

Rachel couldn't help but shiver at the sounds he made into her ear, it turned her on even more and she really was having trouble keeping her voice down so the others wouldn't hear her. She grabbed the sheets of her bed tightly.

Ross could see her struggle, so he gently bend slightly forwards to kiss her parted lips.

Rachel took the silent hint and moaned into his mouth, the vibrations of her soft voice made him tremble with delight.

He suddenly stopped stroking her. He grabbed one of her hands into his guiding it down her body.

"Touch yourself sweetie." He whispered against her mouth. Rachel blushed furiously in spite of herself but she was way to aroused to care about that as she began to move her hand on herself. Ross' hand was on top of hers moving with her. He was still kissing her to soften her moans. He broke away from the kiss and just observed her for a moment. He loved the way she bit her lip, her eyes were shut tightly. He could feel her picking up the pace of her strokes on herself. He slowly took his hand away from hers. She stopped her movements at that. He turned her over some more so that she was leaning onto him almost lying on her back.

"You're so sexy right now." Ross whispered. "Please continue."

Rachel smiled at him, she didn't know what had exactly come over him but she really began to like this side of him. She moved her hand again almost immediately closing her eyes in bliss. Ross just watched her, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her slightly sweating body as she writhed against him.

"Hmmnh Ross, Take it off." Rachel moaned softly grabbing the front of his shirt with her free hand. The fabric was annoying her she, needed to feel his skin against hers.

"Impatient aren't we?" Ross chuckled. He leaned up a little so he could unbutton his blouse to take it off together with the white t-shirt he was wearing underneath it.

"Better?" He asked enveloping her in a sweet hug.

Rachel nodded gasping out, she was close to the point of no return, she fastened the pace on herself but was stopped by Ross.

"Not yet." He teased taking her hand into his. He softly kissed it.

"What?!" Rachel whispered incredulously. He couldn't be meaning that, she was so close that she ached for release.

"Please." She whimpered needlessly. But Ross would have none of it, he grinned to himself.

"Let me finish it for you." He said hooking his thumbs through the sides of her panties taking them off.

Rachel shivered, her hands started to explore her own upper body. Ross just watched her drunkly, he hadn't expected to see her do that but boy did it look good.

"Hurry." Rachel whispered, her voice was trembling. Ross could only nod his head. He kissed her bellybutton slowly but surely kissing his way down to her inner thighs where he softly nibbled on her warm moist skin.

Rachel let out an involuntary moan when she felt his hot mouth on her. Her hands flew to her face covering her mouth to stifle the noises that erupted from her throat. Ross looked up at her never breaking contact with her. He could feel the slight tremble of her thighs as he bend her knees so he could lie down more comfortable in between her legs.

Rachel arched her hips up , Ross was doing magical things to her with his mouth and she didn't know how long she'd be able to undergo this sweet torture. Her breathing became even more ragged then it already was. With one hand she gripped the sheet beneath her while the other stayed firmly rooted to its spot on her mouth. It was hard to keep her voice down low and she struggled heavily with it.

Ross couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she lay there writhing and arching her body in pleasure while desperately trying to keep her voice under control. It was cracking slightly under the strain she put on it.

Ross stopped his ministrations on her and crawled up over her, he leaned on his elbow so he wouldn't crush her while his other hand was squeezed in between them stroking her in a slow pace. He took her hand from her mouth and replaced it with his lips, kissing her slowly and deeply. Rachel gasped into his mouth, thankful for what he was doing for her. She kept arching her hips, rolling them into his. Ross moaned softly into her he was so turned on that it was almost too much to bear. It didn't help that he was still wearing his pants.

He could feel that Rachel was about to lose it and he didn't want to withhold her from it anymore, she had suffered enough. He inserted to fingers inside of her. Rachel's eyes widened at that, she broke away from their kiss to suck in some much needed air before she took the plunge and went over the edge. Her body was shivering violently as Ross held her close to him. She whimpered and clung to him as she rode out the sweet waves of bliss that shot through her body at the moment.

Ross kissed her neck affectionately as he watched her regaining some of her breath back.

"I love you." He whispered nuzzling her shoulder.

Rachel wrapped her arms around him to pull him into a full body hug. Ross returned the gesture by wrapping his arm around her. His full weight was on top of her now but Rachel didn't mind at all, she was still a bit out of breathe from that mind blowing experience just moments ago and she needed to feel him close to her.

"You're still half dressed." She said hoarsely. "Thought you said you'd be naked too"

Ross chuckled kissing her cheek.

"Do you want me to be naked?"

Rachel nuzzled his neck nodding her head.

"Yes very much." She replied sucking gently onto the skin in the crook of his neck. She would leave a hickey but that didn't matter to Ross. He closed his eyes briefly before he leaned up on his elbows again.

He rolled off of her onto his back and proceeded to take his pants and undergarments off. He let out a blissful sigh, his pants had really been straining him. He threw his clothes aimlessly to the floor before he rolled onto his side facing Rachel again.

"I'm naked." He said with a grin. Rachel laughed softly at that.

"I see." She replied before she kissed him passionately. Ross eagerly returned her passion. He felt her small warm hands all over his body. Her sweet soft caresses drove him crazy with want. He'd been straining himself for quite a bit already.

"I need you so bad right now." Ross admitted hoarsely. He felt her chuckle into his neck. She kissed his shoulder lightly as her hands roamed down his body to enclose themselves around him. She gave him a few experimental strokes.

Ross bit his lip from moaning out loud at her touches. His fingers flexed on her sides. Taking a long deep breath, he suddenly grabbed her hands effectively stopping her sweet strokes.

"No matter how much I love you doing that to me, I don't think I can hold back much longer." He said huskily.

"And what do you suppose you do about that?" Rachel asked sucking in her breath when she felt his warm tongue on her chest.

Ross grinned against her skin. He reached over her to her bedside table where he knew she kept protection. He grabbed a condom from the drawer and held it in front of her face.

"How about you throw away the wrapper and I'll show you just how I will handle this?" He said with a grin. He handed the condom to her as he placed a small kiss on the tip of her nose.

"I like the way you think." Rachel said tearing the tiny square package. She threw the wrapping aimlessly to the floor as she handed him the condom back. Ross quickly slid it down over himself. When he finished, he rolled over to his back hugging Rachel close to him. He kissed her passionately while gently easing himself into her. They both sighed pleasantly at that moment.

Ross kept still for a moment, just enjoying being so close to Rachel. He still was amazed at the fact he could do this with her. If someone had told him back in high school he would be enjoying her company in such a way he would have laughed at their faces but here he was. Rachel locked her eyes with his, a lazy smile was around her lips. She rolled her pelvis into him. Ross closed his eyes and started rocking his hips in sync with her. His hands were on her thighs kneading the soft skin. He felt her lean into him, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. He found it a little hard to breath like this but he didn't mind that.

Rachel licked his earlobe fastening their rhythm just a little. Ross whispered sweet nothings to her as he stilled her hips.

"Don't." Rachel protested trying to move her hips again but in vain for Ross held her down firmly. He grinned at her suddenly turning them over so that Rachel was on her back again.

"I'm in charge today remember?" He whispered seductively.

Rachel whimpered needlessly when she felt him begin to move again albeit tortuously slow. Ross watched her facial expressions as he moved his hips. He gently grabbed both of her hands and moved backwards till he was sitting up right with her straddling his lap. He enveloped her in a loving embrace as he rocked his hips into her.

Rachel gasped out, this new position brought a whole new level to the bliss she was feeling. She groaned when Ross once again stopped moving all together.

"Stop doing that!" she whined nuzzling his neck.

Ross kissed her ear. He let his hands roam freely all over her upper body. He loved to tease her,

but he decided it was her turn to just do what she pleased, he'd been teasing her enough already.

"Move your hips baby", he said hoarsely.

Rachel didn't need to hear that twice. She picked up the pace where he had left off. She looked him straight into his eyes as she moved her pelvis into him. Her fingers flexed on the back of his neck.

Ross broke their eye contact by kissing her briefly before he latched his mouth onto her chest. She arched her head back in pleasure feeling the tension once again build up inside of her.

"Don't you dare stop doing that!" She threatened while biting her lip. She closed her eyes holding onto him tightly. Ross chuckled against her sweaty skin, he was tempted to just stop his movements on her chest for the heck of it but chose not too since he was enjoying himself a lot.

Rachel nuzzled his neck breathing heavily into him. He loved the soft sounds she was making, he could hear she was trying to keep her voice down.

She fastened her pace, Ross decided to move along with her rocking his hips into her again. He broke away from her chest to capture her lips with his in an act of pure passion and lust that came over him. They both gasped and moaned softly into each others mouths.

Ross played with her soft hair, letting it slide delicately through his fingers as he deepened their kiss. He felt goosebumps break out all over his skin as he slowly but surely reached climax.

Rachel put her hands on his shoulders pulling at them indicating that she wanted to lay back down. Ross understood the hint, he slowly pushed her backwards till her back hit the mattress. She bend her knees to accommodate him on top of her.

Ross broke their kiss almost out of breath. He whimpered into her neck. He could feel her heart beating rapidly in sync with his own. Rachel couldn't help herself as she let out a long hoarse moan.

Ross shivered at the sound of it. He wanted to see her eyes but they were closed.

"Open your eyes." He whispered intense. Rachel obliged him staring up at him, he felt like drowning in those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

Rachel reached up to caress his cheek with her thumb. She arched her head back slightly, her body was trembling and shivering with anticipation of what was to come. Ross just stared at her in wonder.

Rachel yelped out when he fastened his pace once again. Ross touched her mouth with his fingers.

"Shh." He said before he kissed her. He squeezed her into him as he went over the edge. His eyes were tightly shut and he strained to keep his voice down to a whisper as he moaned her name into her mouth.

That did it for Rachel, she wrapped her legs and arms around him arching up from the bed slightly as she desperately tried to hold on to him. She had to break the kiss to gasp out. Her breathing was fast and irregular as she fell back onto the mattress completely and utterly spent.

"Damn!" she whispered with a shudder. Ross couldn't help but chuckle at that as he tried to regain his own breath.

"That was amazing!", she whispered, her voice was cracking. Ross kissed her forehead affectionately. He turned them over so she could comfortably rest her body on top of his. He felt her taking some deep breaths.

"You think they heard us?" She asked with a mischievous grin.

Ross shook his head at that. "I don't know but I don't really care anymore."

Rachel caressed his chest absentmindedly.

"Wow I can't believe a tiny tattoo made you do this, maybe I should get another one. A bigger one then just to see what it will make you do." Rachel joked.

Ross kissed her hair as he caressed her back soothingly.

"I'd rather not see you have another tattoo though." He said with a serious expression on his face which made her laugh.

"Don't worry, I wont. One is enough." She closed her eyes for a moment. For a few minutes they just basked in the after glow of their love making, enjoying each others company sharing an occasional kiss or two.

Ross' stomach growled loudly making Rachel look up at him with an amused look on her face.

"Think they saved us some pizza?"

Ross hugged her closer to her. "I don't know but we can find that out later, right now I just want to stay here with you in my arms."

"That idea is very appealing to me" Rachel said with a smile as she wrapped her arms tighter around him. They just stared ahead of themselves, each enjoying the quietness that surrounded them....

END!!!

Thank you for reading!


	14. Far Away

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**12; Far Away.**

**A/n; ****Hi, and welcome to the next installment of LGOL. Now I know I mentioned two different ficlets that i could be working on for this update over at FC, Alas I'm sorry but it is none of those. I needed to get this one out first after watching season 4 and 5 again.**

_**Memories and flashbacks are in Italics!**_

**Be warned, this might be sad-ish!**

**So without further ado, enjoy!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

She sat back with her hands covering her face for a moment. Doubts and insecurities entered her mind as she realized just what she was about to do. The seatbelt around her waist felt too tight, it felt as if it were suffocating her and she couldn't wait for the sign to turn off so she could free herself. Her hands folded into her lap, her leg was moving slightly, just bouncing up and down in a nervous matter. She received some stares from the person next to her but she didn't care.

Was she thinking straight? She liked to believe she was but she knew better. Was she doing the right thing? Yes she was certain of it. She needed this, she longed for this. It was tearing her up just knowing that mere hours from now...NO she did not want to think about it. She shook her head closing her eyes tightly for a moment.

Her fingers flexed on her leg. She just stared ahead of herself, her mind wandering back to one of the most devastating moments of her life.

What was the reason behind his actions? Did he do it to hurt her? No she knew that wasn't the truth, he'd shown her that much. Yet she still couldn't comprehend it, she just couldn't figure out what must've been going through his head while he made that rather curious and fast decision. And that bothered her, she felt as if she didn't really know him anymore. She felt as if he was a whole different person now.

She let out another sigh clutching the seatbelt. It was getting more and more uncomfortable having that thing strapping her to her seat. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She felt her throat go dry as she continued to think of the moment Ross told her he would be married...

_She remembered being in her room, she was just putting away some of the clean clothes Monica left on her bed when she heard Ross tell everyone he had some great news. She had listened in from her spot by her closet, curious as to what he had to tell._

_The moment the words had left his mouth, her world had collapsed. The clothes she had been holding fell aimlessly to the floor as she was overcome and rigid with pure shock. She couldn't believe her ears. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? Was he marrying Emily? _

_She had walked out of her room in a daze, stopping at the entrance of her door just looking at the back of his head. Ross must've felt her staring because he had turned around to face her. She had hoped that he had been joking, that she would wake up any second and realize it was all but a bad dream._

_But faith wasn't that nice to her that day. The moment her eyes locked onto Ross' , she knew he had indeed been telling the guys that he was marrying Emily. She didn't know what to do, what to say for the longest moment._

_Then he had disrupted the silence as he softly and almost hesitantly began to talk to her._

"_Hey, I was just telling the guys that.."_

_She had snapped out of her daze and plastered a fake smile on her face._

"_Y..yeah I heard.............That's great!" She had practically yelled out before she hugged him close to her. Her eyes had watered but she fought the tears bravely. She would not let him see her cry._

She blinked a few times, she would not let the tears fall. The seatbelt sign turned off. She hurriedly undid the clasp to get the belt off of her. She expected to feel a little better, just a little more comfortable but she was far from it. Her stomach was in knots. She wiped some strands of hair out of her face.

She looked at the overhead monitor, it showed her the route the plane would be taking,how high up it was and just how cold it was up in the area where they were flying. It also showed the London time, she hoped she would be on time. As she just stared at the monitor, her thoughts drifted once more back to just a few weeks ago...

_She was reading a magazine, she was supposed to be doing the dishes but she didn't feel like doing that now. She hated doing the dishes but Monica kind of forced her this time. But since Monica was not home she had figured she could take a break from doing...well nothing yet. She heard footsteps on the other side of the door. She hurriedly got up and rushed over to the sink._

"_I'm doing the dishes!" She said loudly before she turned around totally expecting Monica to be standing in the kitchen with her. But it was him instead._

"_Hey, do you ah have a minute?" He asked her._

"_Yeah! Yeah I was just about to take a break anyways so.." She replied as she walked over to the couch so she could lean against it._

_Ross put his bag onto the kitchen table, "So listen, I know you and I haven't really had the change to talk since uh..Emily and I decided to get married and I was just wondering how you were."_

_She cleared her throat slightly as she looked down avoiding to lock eyes with him for a moment._

"_I mean if you were getting married." Ross continued, "I would be kinda......you know?"_

_He stammered that last bit slightly uncertain._

"_Well yeah! Well it definitely took me by surprise." Rachel said hastily almost falling over her words._

"_But you know.....uh I'm okay!"_

"_Yeah?" Ross asked with a slight smile, "Well I just wanted to check." He walked around the table with his arms stretched out towards her._

"_Oh that is sweet, thank you...oh!" Rachel said surprised as she felt him wrap his arms around her. She returned the hug resting her cheek against his shoulder for a moment. She closed her eyes, it felt so good to be in his arms at this moment, she couldn't explain why exactly but it did._

She couldn't help but chuckle at the mere thought of how Ross had kind of ruined the moment there implying that she would find happiness one day too. She stretched her legs out in front of her. She glanced sideways, the man beside her was listening to music. He had been quite rude to her at the beginning of the flight in her opinion. She noticed the sky was darkening outside.

"Would you like a drink from the cart miss?"

She looked up at the steward in surprise. She had been deep in thoughts.

"Not now, maybe later." she answered. Closing her eyes again, her mind once more wandered back in time.....

"_Emily and I are getting married in a month!" The minute the words had left Ross' mouth she had felt her heart drop._

"_In a month? Y..you mean thirty days?" She asked in disbelieve._

"_Yeah." Ross answered._

"_From now?" She just stared at him for a moment._

"_Yes"_

_She swallowed slightly before she adopted a smile on her face._

"_Well that's great!" She exclaimed happily but on the inside she was tearing up. She hadn't expected for him to get married right away after the engagement. Somehow she had just hoped that the engagement would've last longer and that somewhere along the road either Ross or Emily would see what they were doing and cancel it. She had voiced that out to Joey and Chandler just moments ago. _

_Ross was telling about the wedding location and she pretended to listen but her thoughts were somewhere else._

_When he left, both Chandler and Joey had tried to console her somehow but she would have none of it._

"_I'm fine!" She had told them before she had stormed out of the apartment. She had to get out, she just had to get some fresh air to clear her shock ridden mind and get everything back in perspective again. She had taken a stroll not really caring where she was heading. Her thoughts were a tumbling mess and she couldn't conceal the silent tears that streamed down her cheeks._

_She wiped at her eyes angrily. Why was she taking this so hard? She and Ross had been separated for quite some time already so why did it hurt so much. She racked her brain looking for answers but to no avail. She felt miserable, she felt she needed to do something, anything just to ease herself and her mind...._

Rachel rubbed her temples thinking back to the conversation she had with Joshua in Central Perk. How stupid must she have been, no not stupid more like confused. After that conversation and after talking to his answering machine later, she had figured out why she was feeling the way she was some what. And yet it didn't feel like that was the real reason. She had told Monica and Phoebe how she always had thought that she and Ross would be on again after their whole on/off adventures.

She stretched out. She didn't like plane rides that much. They were boring and long. She glanced up at the monitor again, it would take her several hours still till she got to her destiny. She grabbed her purse from the overhead cabinet. Opening it, she searched for the wedding information she had taken from Phoebe.

She sighed slightly thinking of her very pregnant friend. She had been the one to make her finally realize that she still loved Ross so dearly.

Phoebe was probably freaking out and thinking of ways to minimize the damage she could bring forth. She loved Phoebe but she had to do this, if only just to put her own mind at ease.

Looking at the slip of paper in her hand, made her heart beat just a little faster. She wondered what his reaction would be. Shocked? Happy? She didn't know and she had a hard time picturing it in her head. She did however have her speech prepared, she just hoped she could get the words out when she saw him again.

She felt tired, she figured she could get some shuteye in before she landed. She rested her head against her seat as she closed her eyes.

It seemed she just had shut her eyes for minutes but it was actually for 2 hours. She was awoken by the steward, he told her to put her seatbelt on because they would be landing very shortly. She hurriedly strapped herself to her seat again swallowing the growing lump in her throat. She was almost there, in just a few moments she would see him again.

Getting a cab wasn't an easy task but she managed to pull one over in less then half an hour. She realized she didn't have much time left before the ceremony would start. The cab seemed to be driving in slow motion, the ride made her nervous. It was hard to conceal her inner worries as she frowned mentally scolding herself for feeling the way she was now.

"We're here Miss." The cabdriver said in a bored voice. Rachel hurriedly paid the fair before she gathered her bags from the trunk.

She dashed through the gates, the building looked kind of run down, it made her wonder if she was at the right spot. She noticed more people arriving, they were all dressed nicely so she figured she was well on her way. She gulped, she didn't want to be seen by any of her friends yet. She was certain that Phoebe had told them about her little plan. Looking left and right she spotted a door near to her left.

She took the few steps to it and curled her fingers around the knob to open it. But it was as if her body froze right in that moment. The doubts she had been pushing away came back full force. She really wanted to believe she did the right thing, she wanted to believe that she wasn't wrong for doing what she was about to do. She bit her lip as she made up her mind. Turning the knob in one swift motion, she almost ran through the door in search of him. She noticed two people in the corner of her eye as she entered but she didn't care about them. She only hoped she wasn't too late.

She was in a hallway, well what was left of it. She could hear soft music ahead of her as she took in her surroundings. She put her travel bags against the wall before she hesitantly took a few steps towards where the music came from. The closer she got to the room, the clearer she could hear the music. She heard voices, it sounded as if someone was arguing.

She stopped at the end of the hallway, near the room the music and the voices were coming from. She recognized the voices of Jack and Judy Geller, they were arguing with someone about wine cellars. She frowned, that was weird. She pressed her back against the wall when she heard Emily's voice.

She closed her eyes tightly when she heard the others leave, leaving only Emily and Ross in the room. When she didn't hear them talk anymore, she figured Emily must've left the room to get ready to walk down the isle. She peeked around the corner of the half teared down wall she was concealed behind, she couldn't see clearly but it looked like Ross was alone.

"Okay this is it Rachel, you can do this!", with those final words to herself she hurriedly stepped into the room only to stop dead in her tracks. Ross was not alone.

She watched on as she witnessed a kiss between him and Emily. She felt her chest constrict and tears well up in her eyes seeing them so happy. She couldn't look at them anymore but something pulled her gaze back to them as she witnessed them part from their kiss.

She looked down at the floor for a moment, trying hard not to let the tears fall from her eyes. Her handbag had slipped from her shoulder, she pulled it up again. She watched Emily leave, Ross was just staring after her. She laced her fingers together tightly when she noticed that he was turning around, he would be facing her in just seconds.

She watched his eyes widen slightly when he came face to face with her. A surprised but happy expression was on his face. She felt her heart thump against her chest, she was surprised he couldn't hear it, it sounded so loud in her own ears.

"My God, Rachel!" Ross said in disbelieve as he walked up to her slowly. She held her linked hands in front of her but let him grab her hands when he reached her.

"You're here! I can't believe it." He said before he softly kissed her cheek. Rachel closed her eyes briefly at that.

"What happened? Why are you here?" Ross asked with a confused expression on his face.

This was it, this was her moment. She needed to tell him what was on her mind now. She couldn't back out, she had come this far. She swallowed slightly.

"Well I just came to..." The words were stuck , her throat felt constricted, she felt as if she couldn't breath. She nervously touched his chest, his suit was nice. She swallowed once more before she continued, "I just needed to tell you.."

She looked down for a moment as she blinked back tears.

She couldn't do it, she could not ruin his happiness. No matter how much she wanted him to know about her love for him, she could not bear to be the person that ruined his wedding day for him. She pulled her hands away from his as she looked up at him.

"Congratulations." she said with a smile, he didn't need to know it was a fake smile, she had become quite good at those during the last few weeks.

He stared at her, his eyes searched hers for something she did not know. He must've been confused by her facial expression. Then he leaned in and wrapped her up in a warm comforting hug. She returned it.

She clutched onto his shoulders as she closed her eyes. Her sadness overcame her and this time she didn't feel the need to hide her pain and sorrow as she let the tears fall. She cherished this moment, the way his arms were squeezing her into him and the way his face was buried in her neck. She would never forget this moment. She softly wiped at her eyes with her hand so that he would not notice the tears when they parted. She hoped he wouldn't.

"Ross!" Joey came running into the room and stopped abruptly when he saw Ross and Rachel hugging.

Rachel swallowed thickly when he let go of her to face Joey.

"Yeah?" He asked.

Joey gave her a questioning look but she just stared ahead of her.

"Uh they need you in the front now, the guests are about to come in." Joey said seriously.

"Oh okay!" Ross turned back to Rachel for a moment, "Thanks for coming Rach, I appreciate this so much."

With that he left her and Joey standing in the back of the room. Rachel watched him go with a saddened expression on her face. This was it, this was really the end for them. He would be married soon.

"Are you alright?" Joey asked concerned.

Rachel didn't look up at him, she turned away and walked back to the small hallway she had came through before.

"I'm fine, I'm going to freshen up. I just got off the plane", she said softly.

With that she turned around the corner into the hallway. She walked along the corridor trying to find the nearest bathroom. She would be surprised if the place actually had one. The tears that fell from her eyes blurred her vision. She stopped walking when she noticed a door at her right, it turned out to be a make shift toilet room with portable toilet cabinets.

She closed the door behind her before she slid down to the floor. She let out a heart wrenching sob as she buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook with the soft sobs she made as she wept.

Today, everything had been changed....................

END!!!


	15. Surrender me a Kiss

**aLittle Glimpses of Love**

**13; Surrender me a Kiss.**

**A/n; **** Welcome to the next installment of my ficlet series! This one deals with TOW Monica's Thunder. It sort of dissects the hallway scene, I always wonder how they end up kissing! Also there are some references to Mild adult situations in here! Be Warned! The convo is taken straight from the episode with some additions by me added to it^^**

**Italics are flashbacks!**

**Happy readings!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

She was in her room, just sitting on the bed. She was deep in thoughts as her fingers aimlessly plucked at the comforter she was sitting on. Several dresses were spread out next to her. She had already decided to put the black one on but some how she couldn't get her herself to get up and actually change.

She didn't really know why she was feeling so down at the moment. She should be happy right? Today was a happy day, Monica and Chandler were engaged, they would all head to the Plaza in a few minutes and have a good time to celebrate that fact.

But she didn't feel happy at all. She let out a sigh as she stood up to get changed into the black dress. Her thoughts were in jumbles at the moment. She wanted to be cheerful but something was bothering her. When she finished changing, she quickly combed through her hair before she left the bedroom. She walked over to the bathroom to apply some fresh light make-up.

When she emerged from the bathroom she was surprised by Chandler, who was standing at the sink.

"Hey! You look great!" Chandler said.

"Thanks." she replied not looking at him. She put her make-up in her purse that was lying on the counter.

"Are you okay over there?" chandler asked with a questioning expression on his face.

She sighed slightly, "I don't know, you know I feel a little ehm..."

She didn't know how to end that sentence, she didn't really know just what she was feeling now and she didn't feel the need to talk to Chandler about it.

"No, you know what? Never mind, I'm going to be fine." She said while walking towards the door.

"Oh well don't worry about it. I mean you're probably tired, You had a lot of champagne. It happens to everybody." Chandler said almost sarcastic. She turned around to face him, confused at what he was saying. Without a word she opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

Ross was just walking up to Monica's door when he saw her. She looked stunning as usual.

"Hey!"

"Hi."

"Wow! Happy Monica's night!." He said with a chuckle.. Rachel smiled at him.

"Thank you, you too." She replied.

She looked at him for a moment, a thought entering her mind.

"Hey, can you believe this? Can you believe they are actually getting married?" She asked.

Ross chuckled a bit, "Well sure! But I get married all the time so." He joked.

Rachel let out a small sigh as she looked down, she adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. Ross gave a her a look, she looked as if something was bothering her.

"You okay?"

Rachel thought for a moment, that was twice tonight that she was asked that question but this time she didn't feel the need to shut up and ignore it. Ross could do that to her, with a simple gesture or question he could calm her and make her comfortable enough to talk about what was on her mind.

"Yeah I guess, I mean you think we're ever going to have that?" She asked seriously.

Ross lifted his eyebrows, "You mean we.....you and me?"

"Oh no! No no no no I mean we, you with someone and me with someone."

"Oh okay, you scared me for a minute there!" Ross said laughing.

Rachel laughed with him, "Yeah no shake it off." She joked.

"Yeah, no it's because you and I we were like a......a nightmare." Ross held his hands up and made a funny scream-like sound. Rachel nodded with him .

"But there were some good times!" Ross said.

"Oh absolutely!" Rachel replied. "You know, like there was ehm..." She trailed off trying to come up with good stuff about their previous on/off relationship. She remembered a lot of good stuff actually but she was afraid to voice them so she kept pretending to think.

"Surely you can think of something good." Ross said almost sarcastic.

"Yeah, just give me a minute!" she said putting a hand under her chin. There were several good things about them and she was trying to find the best one she could use to voice her opinion towards Ross. She felt her cheeks grow suspiciously warmer when she thought of one thing that they both had enjoyed a lot during their time together.

"Oh well, yes!" She said a little overwhelmed.

"I can think of one good thing."

"What?" Ross asked curiously.

"Well you...ehm you were always very good at the..ah the stuff." She ended that sentence in a whisper.

Ross smiled at that.

"Yeah? I was? I was good at the stuff!" He said still smiling as he looked at her.

Rachel was smiling too as she nodded her head.

"Hmm yeah, and I really liked your hands." She said looking down at them before looking back up at him.

"My hands?!" Ross said chuckling. He was literally beaming at that piece of information.

"Way to go guys!" He said to his hands.

"You know, you were really good at the stuff too."

Rachel nodded, "I know." She looked at him for a moment while an idea formed in her head.

"Hey, you know what we never did?"

Ross gave a her a rather curious look.

"Oh no, not that!" Rachel said hastily, "We never had a bonus night!"

Ross was intrigued now, "What?"

"You know, bonus night. You know when two people break up and then get back together for just one night?"

"One night, just sex. No strings attached?" Ross wondered incredulously.

"Yeah, we never had that." Rachel leaned her back against the door post as she looked at him for some kind of reaction.

Ross just stood there, trying to comprehend just what kind of conversation this was turning into. He took a sharp breath.

"Okay, this is getting a little crazy!"

Rachel laughed at that, albeit a bit nervously.

"I mean, I'm sure it would be amazing but I gotta say, I really don't think it's a good Idea. I mean I really really don't." Ross explicitly showed her his hands as he finished that sentence.

Rachel lifted one brow at that. Somehow that little gesture by him made her feel just a little warmer inside. Her thoughts drifted off to one of the many times she had the pleasure of feeling those hands on her bare skin....

_She arched her head back in pleasure. She could feel his warm mouth on her sweaty skin, sucking and nipping. She sighed, feeling his skilled hands tracing slow and light trails down the front of her naked body. Her body shivered in anticipation of what was to come. She felt him place a wet kiss behind her ear as he leaned over her. Her hands tangled into his short black locks as he dipped his head to steal a kiss from her. It was slow and sensual. She moaned into the kiss when she felt one of his hands squeeze in between them to slowly travel down the front of her body till it had reached it's destination. _

_She sucked in her breath when he started to work his magic on her. Her eyes closed tightly at the sensations his gentle strokes evoked in her. She gasped out clutching his shoulders tightly, her long nails dug into his skin. She felt him chuckle against her chest as he picked up the pace of his sweet caresses while he gently began to lick and suck his way around her chest, occasionally giving her breasts a squeeze or two with his free hand...._

Ross watched as Rachel got a sort of distant look on her face, her cheeks were slightly flushed. He put two and two together, she must be thinking of some good times they shared with each other. He looked down as he too began to remember just how good she always had felt...

_He loved the way she felt around him, he loved the way she looked at him with eyes that were clouded over and misting with mixed emotions and pleasure in the purest form during their nightly escapades. It was always a true delight to hear her making soft noises that were just for him. He let his hands roam her sides as he stilled his hips. She rolled her pelvis into him never breaking eye contact with him. He smiled up at her, his eyes were half closed. His body was trembling in delight at the pleasure he was feeling._

_He still considered himself just so very lucky to be able to make love to the woman he loved so dearly ever since highschool. He placed his hands on her thighs, softly kneading her sweaty skin there. He watched her as she arched her head back. She was so beautiful. His breathing quickened when she leaned forward, leaning her hands on top of his chest before she kissed him passionately...._

Ross shook his head furiously, these thoughts would not do him any good standing out in the hallway. He had to admit it, he still missed her and somehow bonus night didn't seem like such a bad idea at all.

"What were you thinking about?" Rachel said softly, she stood directly in front of him. She gave him a curious look which made him uncomfortable some how.

"I could ask you the same thing." He countered softly.

Rachel chuckled softly at that as she locked her eyes onto his. She couldn't look away. She would never admit it out loud but she missed him, she missed him dearly and just remembering some of their good times made her want him right then and there. Bonus night became more and more a very attractive option to her. Little did she know that Ross was thinking the same thing.

Unconsciously they took a step closer to one another never breaking their intense eye contact. It wasn't until they were almost nose to nose that Ross realized what was happening.

He cleared his throat and took a step back hastily. Rachel looked away.

"I think we'd better go in." Ross said softly.

"Yeah we better." Rachel said distracted. Ross walked towards her and leaned past her to open the door but Rachel stopped him by laying a hand on his arm as she turned him to face her again.

"Ross?" She asked almost whispering.

"Yeah?" Ross replied equally soft. There was something about the way she stared up at him again that made his heart beat just a little faster. He could feel her breath on his face as she closed the distance between them again.

"Please just..." She whispered, her eyes wandered to his mouth as she bit her bottom lip. What hurt could it do? Just a kiss, nothing more. She needed it, she needed to have this sort of physical contact with him now, her heart was racing in her chest.

"Please what?" Ross whispered back , some how his hands had found their way to her waist where they flexed against the fabric of her black dress.

Rachel licked her lips for a second.

"Just..." She closed her eyes and softly pressed her mouth against his in a chaste innocent kiss. It lasted for only a few seconds, but those few seconds were enough to make her knees go weak.

She still had her eyes cosed when she leaned in for more, she could practically feel his lips on hers but she didn't go any further, wanting to know what he would do.

She didn't have to wait long, Ross swooped in and passionately caught her bottom lip between his lips. His arms snaked their way all around her waist as he didn't waste another second to deepen the kiss. His gesture was almost frantic, he has missed this.

Rachel wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she sunk into the moment. Time stood still for the both of them. It had been so long since they'd had any form of physical contact. Rachel sighed into the kiss, leaning her body into him.

They were both so absorbed in their intimacy that they did not here the door open at first. A short but sharp intake of breath made Rachel open her eyes and break the kiss with Ross who immediately turned around to see Monica standing in the door way with her mouth wide open.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have opened a door to the past!" She said before slamming the door shut behind her.

Both Ross and Rachel swallowed uncomfortably as they shared a look. The moment was gone, they both returned to reality, blushing at the impact that kiss had on them.

Rachel tugged at the top of her dress, lifting it up just a little as she looked away from Ross.

"Uhm we should go in and explain." Ross said hoarsely. He cleared his throat as he tugged at his tie slightly.

"Yeah, we should." Rachel said. She reached past him and opened the door, they both walked into the apartment, mind set on explaining to Monica what she just had witnessed........

END!

Thanks for reading!


	16. 14 Midnight Encounter

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**14; Midnight Encounter.**

**A/n; ****Hi and welcome to the next installment of LGOL. I can't express enough just how wonderful it is that all of you appreciate my writing in such a nice way. **

**Thank you.**

**This one deals with TOW Joey speaks French. It is an alteration to a certain scene in this ep.**

**This one is rated R/M so here is the warning beforehand!**

****NOTE: This ficlet deals with adult themes and situations of a sexual matter. If you are underage or offended by this, do not read on. I will not be held responsible for your actions!****

**Now, with that being said, Enjoy this chapter!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

He was twisting and turning in the foreign bed. He couldn't get comfortable no matter how hard he tried. He glanced around the spacious guest room, it was simply decorated yet it had a sense of elegance.

He remembered how he had always wondered what the Greene residence looked like from the inside when he was younger. Hearing his sister rave on and on about the amazing interior, hadn't helped his curiosity at all.

He chuckled softly to himself as he thought back on how insanely in love he had fallen with his sister's best friend.

His thoughts drifted back to said best friend, who was up in her own room now probably sleeping. He sat up with his back against the soft pillows as he recalled certain events that happened just mere hours ago.

Rachel had tried to kiss him, tried to go further even by her implications but he had stopped her. If he had to be totally honest with himself, he regretted that decision just slightly but he knew he had done the right thing. She was vulnerable right now, worried sick about her father who was still heavily sedated in the hospital and to him it would've felt as if he was taking advantage of her.

He chuckled softy to himself when he recalled her almost yelling that she was giving him the advantage and that he should take it.

Ross rubbed his eyes tiredly. He should try and get some sleep because he knew that the following day would be a hard and long one at the hospital. He snuggled back under the covers yawning tiredly before he closed his eyes...

Meanwhile up in her childhood bedroom, Rachel was also having trouble sleeping. Her mind was swamped with thoughts about her hospital ridden father. It had been quite a shock when she had received the phone call from her mother saying that he'd had a heart attack. She was really worried even though the doctor had assured her that her father would come out of it quite fine. They had been on time when the heart attack had occurred.

Rachel rolled over. She hugged her pillow tight as she tiredly closed her eyes hoping that sleep would come and take her away. But sleep was evading her.

She let out a frustrated sigh as she sat up. She turned one of her bedside lamps on illuminating the room in a soft white glow. She sat back against the headboard of her bed drawing her knees up so she could hug them to her chest. She buried her face into them for a moment thinking back at the rather embarrassing conversation she'd had with Ross. She didn't really know just what had come over her. She'd just had the biggest urge to kiss him...amongst other things. She hadn't want to be alone, all by herself with her worried thoughts. But now that she thought back to those awkward moments and his rejection, she could see his point of view on the matter. Still that did not make her feel less humiliated.

She rested her chin on her knees and just stared ahead of her. Her room was just the same as she left it when she moved out of her parents house. It brought back some fond memories , a small smile appeared on her face as she got up from the bed.

She needed the bathroom...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ross rubbed his eyes as he slowly and softly walked down the stairs. Sleep still hadn't claimed him and his throat was dry. He needed something to drink. He flinched when his bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor as he reached the rather spacious kitchen. He looked around for a light switch. The moonlight came in through the big glass doors that led to the backyard. Ross walked up to the sink managing to find a switch. He clicked it, above the sink were small spotlights that lighted up the whole kitchen sink and counter. It wasn't much but it would have to do for now.

He searched through the many kitchen cabinets to find a glass. When he found a rather large one he checked the fridge for some juice but then he remembered there was nothing in it except for some bacon and heavy cream. He walked over to the sink and filled his glass with some cold refreshing water. He turned the small lights above the sink off before he made his way over to the kitchen door.

He grabbed the knob and was about to push it open when a rather hard pull from the other side of the door made him lose his balance. Before he knew it he was in jumbles on the floor, his limbs tangled with Rachel's who let out a surprised and shocked yelp when she felt something cold and wet soak her neck and front.

"What was that?!" She said sitting up. Ross hurriedly sat up too with a now empty glass in his hands.

"Well, that was my water." He said grinning amused as he stood up.

"Not funny." Rachel said mock offended. She gratefully accepted Ross' outstretched hand so he could help her up from the floor.

"Let me get you a towel to dry off." Ross walked over to the sink to get one of the towels that hung on a hook there. He took the few steps back towards Rachel and started to dry her off by gently rubbing the soft fabric against her neck.

Rachel shivered in spite of herself as she took a hold of the towel in his hands.

"I can do it myself." She said softly.

"Right!" Ross replied, hastily taking a step backwards. He shook his head almost unnoticeable. What had he been thinking?

He watched her trying to dry some of the liquid off of her shirt without much success. The moonlight shined upon her in such a mesmerizing way that he couldn't stop looking at her. He followed her every movement with his eyes.

Rachel, who was unaware of all of this, continued to dry herself off as good as she could. The underside of her hair had caught water too and was still dripping. As she toweled it she looked up only to see Ross staring at her in a strange way.

"What is it?" she asked curiously but he didn't answer her. She frowned as she put the towel down on the kitchen table near her.

"Ross?" She said rather loudly waving her hand in front of his face. Ross was shaken from his thoughts and blushed slightly.

"Yes?" he answered hoarsely before he cleared his throat.

"Where were you with your thoughts?" Rachel said with a hint of amusement and curiosity in her voice.

"You." Ross blurted out before he realized it. He quickly turned around to place his empty glass in the sink. Suddenly he wasn't thirsty anymore. He was hoping she hadn't heard that.

Rachel gave him a look, a hint of confusion was on her features.

"What?" She asked.

Ross shrugged his shoulders,in relieve. She hadn't heard what he said apparently, "Nothing." He said hastily.

Rachel observed him for a moment, there was something strange about him, something she couldn't quite place. She walked around him so she could look him straight into his eyes.

"Just what kind of thoughts were you having...about me?" She teased. Ross' blush deepened.

So she had heard him. He felt really uncomfortable under her intense stare. He tried to come up with a witty and quick answer but his vocabulary failed him tonight. He just stared back at her.

Something was happening between them in that moment, they both felt it and both wondered if they should react to it.

Rachel swallowed slightly as she remembered feeling the same way up in her room just mere hours ago. There was this strong pull that drew her to him, that made her want him. The urge to just kiss and have her way with him came back full force and it made her blush but she stood her ground. She knew he probably didn't want something to happen and she'd rather not be embarrassed again.

Ross was having many many thoughts and they all revolved around Rachel. The way she was looking at him right now stirred something inside of him. He knew he shouldn't listen to that little voice in his head that urged him on to just grab her and kiss her silly. Her piercing blue eyes made him shiver and the moonlight almost made her soft skin glow. He chuckled softly to himself as he thought that, it sounded so silly and yet it was true. It really didn't help that the front of her shirt was still wet and kind of see through even in the almost darkened kitchen.

"You still didn't answer my question." Rachel said softly. Ross bit his bottom lip, she was right but what was he going to tell her? That he had been..............no he didn't want to. It was embarrassing enough to just know that she had caught him thinking these thoughts.

Rachel took a step forwards, closing in on him.

"Well?" She said with squinted eyes. Somehow he knew that she had known just what had been going through his head. The way she looked at him made him believe that.

Ross took a step back each time she took one forward until his back hit something cold and hard. He looked over his shoulder to see that he was now standing against the refrigerator. He was trapped.

He observed her, she was closing in on him, there was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. He knew by just looking at her, what she was thinking about and part of him was getting excited while the rational part of him yelled at him to get out of there right now. He knew he had to be sensible, he knew he had to be strong and withstand the raging feelings and urges that tormented him. But it had been four month's and every little thing about her was arousing him beyond believe.

He watched her stop in front of him, just out of his reach. Her eyes locked on his, he could read the question in them. It was his choice, the ball was in his court now.

"Screw it." He murmured softly to himself. He reached out and grabbed the front of her shirt as he almost yanked her towards him. Their bodies collided while their mouths locked in a passionate and needy kiss. They both groaned into the deepening kiss as hands began to explore freely. Ross circled his hands around her waist and lifted her up. She immediately wrapped her legs around him as he turned them around pressing her up against the refrigerator rather forcefully.

He broke away from her mouth panting slightly.

"We shouldn't be doing this." He breathed as he latched his mouth onto the skin of her neck.

"I don't care about what we should be doing or not." Rachel moaned. She took a hold of his face to plant a hard kiss on his mouth. Ross eagerly responded to her passion. Rachel's arms went around his shoulders, her fingers grabbed a hold of his short black locks.

Ross' fingers fumbled with the hem of her shirt, he groaned when it didn't want to co-operate.

"How much do you like this shirt?" He gasped against her mouth. Rachel chuckled at that.

"I like it a lot, why?" She teased.

"Too bad!" Ross pressed her tighter against the fridge so he could have his hands totally free. With one swift and fast movement he ripped her shirt completely apart. It fell to their feet in a useless heap of fabric.

Rachel stared at him in disbelieve.

"Wow!, impatient aren't you?"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Ross said before sucking on the crook of her neck hard enough to leave a mark Rachel sighed softly. She let her hands roam freely over his upper body under the white singlet he wore.

"Take it off." She almost demanded.

"I don't want to." Ross said sliding the straps of her bra from her shoulders so he could kiss her soft skin there.

"Why not?" Rachel gasped with closed eyes when she felt one of his hands caress her through the fabric of her bra.

"Because then I would have to put you down and I don't want to. I love your legs around me, always have." Ross chuckled against her skin. Rachel grinned softly. The way he talked was turning her on even more but no matter how bad she wanted him, she started to feel just a little uncomfortable doing this kind of thing in her father's kitchen.

"Well you have to let me down either way, I don't want to do this in the kitchen of all places." she moaned.

"Don't tell me you're feeling shy all of a sudden." Ross breathed into her ear. Rachel shook her head slightly.

"I'm not, just don't feel comfortable doing this in my dad's kitchen." She said arching her head back. She felt his fingers on her back fumbling with the bra clasp. He slid the piece of clothing off her shoulders where it landed next to the ripped shirt.

He latched his moth onto one of her nipples gently sucking on it till it was erect before he repeated himself on the other one. Rachel squeezed his shoulders involuntarily. She was slowly but surely losing control.

"Besides, I can lift you up to the bedroom no sweat". Ross said with a mischievous grin. He circled his arms all around her till he had a good grip on her. Then he stepped back so she wasn't pressed up against the fridge anymore.

She grinned at his wittiness before she sealed her mouth over his again. Ross stumbled towards the kitchen door, with a little effort he managed to open it but instead of walking to the stairs he went to the wardrobe. Rachel broke the kiss curiously holding onto him tightly as she placed a wet kiss behind his ear.

"Where do you think you're going?" she whispered seductively.

Ross laughed at that.

"Need to check something." he murmured against the crook of her neck. He opened the wardrobe door before he pressed her up against it roughly.

"Damn, looks like I have to let go of you after all." He said pouting. He suddenly placed her on her feet on the floor. Rachel gasped when he pressed his body up against hers, enveloping her in a tight full body hug while he kissed her forcefully.

She felt her head spin when he let go of her to get something from his coat. She saw him looking through his wallet till he found something.

Ross turned back towards her with a smile on his face.

"Lucky I had one of these in my pocket, or else we'd have to stop this right here and now."

Rachel's mind was too fogged with pleasant thoughts and feelings to fully understand what he meant by that. She felt him pulling her against him again, one of his hands snaked their way around her waist while the other held a square package in front of her face. She realized now what he was talking about and blushed in spite of her self. She grabbed the condom from his hands and snaked her arms around him so she could reach his sweatpants pocket. Slowly she slid her hand inside and dropped it there. She gave his thigh a teasing squeeze through the fabric of his pants.

"First take off that shirt and then we'll see if you'll need it." She said huskily. Ross shivered at the piercing stare she was giving him, there was a small smile around her lips as her hands took a hold of the hem of his singlet. Ross watched her bend through her knees as she slowly lifted up the white fabric, kissing every spot of skin that was revealed while she lifted his shirt higher and higher till it was off and on the floor. She pressed herself against him,making him stumble backwards against the wall next to the wardrobe. She sucked on his collarbone while her hands roamed freely all over his torso.

Ross sighed pleasantly as he tangled his fingers into her hair, playing with the soft long locks. He put a hand under her chin to lift it. He kissed the tip of her nose affectionately before he took her by the hands to drag her up the stairs. He couldn't wait to get her naked and writhing under him.

Rachel followed him up the stairs, they stumbled to the first floor both eager and unable to keep their hands and lips to themselves. When they reached the top of the stairs, Rachel pushed him back against the wall kissing him forcefully while her hands played with the strings of his sweatpants undoing the knot. She pushed one of her legs in between his so she could feel his body against hers. They were both half naked and the feel of each other's warm skin drove them both insane with want. She snaked her hands into his pants, she could feel his arousal through the fabric of the boxers he wore. She grinned against his mouth before she deepened their kiss.

She rubbed him through the fabric of his boxers and rubbed her front into him at the same time.

"Oh God!" Ross moaned into her mouth. She was doing some very pleasant things to him, he gasped as he broke their kiss to bury his face into her neck. His fingers flexed against the bare skin of her back and his hips jerked involuntarily at her movements.

Rachel smiled as she observed his reaction to her teasing. She had stopped her hip movements but she was still stroking him. She saw him bite his bottom lip as he looked at her with half lidded eyes.

"You're such a tease!" He moaned softly before he grabbed a hold of her arms so she would stop her movements on him. He took a few steps forwards while raising her arms above her head effectively pinning her against the opposite wall. There was no way for her to get out of his tight grip nor did she want to.

"You'll be the death of me some day." Ross said hoarsely.

He kissed her shoulder lovingly but kept her pinned against the wall by putting one of his own legs between hers and keeping her arms up above her head. He placed hot open mouthed kisses in the crook of her neck.

He let go of her arms to grab a hold of her hips, he lifted one of her legs up so he could grind into her slowly and thoroughly. Rachel gasped out loud, he knew just how to roll his hips into hers making her knees buckle. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck whispering sweet nothings and moaning softly into his skin.

She arched her head back in pleasure when she felt his all too skilled tongue on her chest again. For a fleeting moment her mind came back to reality, what they were doing right now was certainly not something just 'friends' would do with each other but then again they weren't 'normal' friends to begin with. And even though it was supposed to be wrong it felt too damn good and right in some strange way.

She didn't know how long she could keep standing up though, her legs were trembling.

"Ross, bedroom!" She moaned with closed eyes. Ross smiled against her skin as he lifted her up again. He stumbled to the nearest open door and entered the room.

He struggled to get to the bed because of Rachel's wandering hands but he managed. He let them both fall down on the soft bed. Rachel didn't waste another second as she turned them around so she could straddle his hips. Leaning her hands onto his chest she locked her lips with him again while rocking her hips into him..

Ross was going crazy, there was a sense of total loss of control between them and he liked it. He squeezed her buttocks gently before he hooked his fingers through the waist band of her pants to take it off. But Rachel stopped him by grabbing a hold of his hands and shaking her head.

"Not yet." she whispered breathless as she broke the kiss. This time she pinned his hands above his head. Ross figured he could easily escape her tight grip but decided against it just to see what she would do.

She smiled down at him for s moment, just staring into his eyes. She loved his eyes, always had and always would. They were truly wonderful and told her so many things about him, even though he tried to hide it sometimes.

She let go of his hands but didn't break eye contact with him. Ross circled his arms around her pulling her down slightly. He didn't know why she was staring so intently at him and it made him a little nervous.

"What is it?" He asked softly rubbing her back with one of his hands.

Rachel sighed softly, his touch was always so soothing and gentle.

"Nothing." She said with a smile before she kissed him again. Ross immediately responded but wasn't entirely convinced that she had spoken the truth but whatever it was that might be bothering her, he would hear it one way or another. But now they both lost themselves in the moment again. Ross hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her pants a second time but this time she let him take her pants and underwear off. He turned them around so she could take his pants and boxers off.

They sighed in pleasure simultaneously feeling their hot skin connect. Ross just hugged her body tight to himself, he had missed this. Rachel caressed his back in slow lazy circles as they continued their slow and passionate kisses. She arched her hips up into him making them both gasp out but never breaking their lip lock.

"I don't think I can wait any longer, I need you now." Rachel whispered against his mouth making Ross shiver. Goosebumps erupted on his skin as her nails scraped over the sensitive skin on his chest. She broke the kiss and pulled him down some more so she could nuzzle his neck. The frantic and sense of urgency they had felt just mere moments ago was gone, instead they just enjoyed each other's company in a more slow paced manner.

Ross grabbed the condom from his pants before he threw them on the floor with the remaining clothes. He prepared himself, Rachel just observed him as he bend back over her again.

He dipped his head to steal a slow and sensual kiss from her as he entered her slowly and gently.

Rachel gasped into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around him again. It felt so good to be in his arms again and to just feel him all around her and inside of her that it took her by surprise. She hadn't realized just how much she still missed him even after all those years of just being 'friends'

She arched her head back closing her eyes, her hands were gripping his arms tightly as she felt him pick up the pace of his thrusts.

Ross smiled inwardly at the soft sounds she was making. He had missed those too. He didn't know why but there was just something about the way she whimpered and moaned under him that made him shiver with delight. He dipped his head to kiss the corner of her slightly opened mouth.

He slowly leaned onto his elbows so that their bodies were almost touching whole again. He loved feeling her hot and slightly sweaty skin against his. Her skin was always so soft.

Ross closed his eyes for a moment, he was truly glad that he had listened to the little devil in his head that kept telling him to just get together with her for this one night. He already knew he would never forget it.

Rachel felt her body tremble just the slightest. She arched her hips up into him again urging him on to pick up the pace just a little more. Ross chuckled at her impatience.

He slowly but surely withdrew himself from her earning a loud protest from Rachel who opened her eyes and gave him a look that clearly showed him her dislike for the loss of body contact.

Ross chuckled at that.

"Don't frown." He grinned as he turned her around so she was on her stomach.

"I'll be back." he whispered before he entered her again. This new angle brought a whole new level of sensations to the both of them.

Rachel buried her face into the soft pillows of the bed as her hands gripped the sheets tightly. Ross placed open mouthed kisses between her shoulders, slowly trailing down the length of her back while he picked up his pace some more.

She felt his hands on her hips, squeezing her skin in sync with his movements. She closed her eyes in pleasure when she felt one of his hands squeeze itself between her body and the the soft mattress till it rested in between her legs. It started to stroke her in the rhythm of his thrusts.

She gasped and writhed underneath him, the immense feelings of satisfaction were almost too much for her to bear. She moaned loudly into the soft pillow, saying his name over and over again. Sweat broke out all over her body as soft tremors of delight ran through her.

"O god, don't stop!" she moaned breathlessly. Ross just smiled as he placed a kiss behind her ear.

"What happens if I do?" He moaned into her ear.

"You'll surely regret it!" Rachel tried to say seriously but that was kind of hard when he was working his magic on her. Ross chuckled against her skin. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and slowly lifted her body till she was sitting on his lap with her back pressed firmly against his chest. He kept stroking her but stopped his thrusts.

"Move!" He demanded, Rachel shivered at the tone of his voice. She happily obliged though.

Ross latched his mouth onto the crook of her neck, sucking and nipping at the soft skin. Her movements drove him crazy, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer but that was okay. They both desperately needed release.

Rachel shivered arching her head back. She turned her head towards him staring at him with half lidded eyes. Ross could read the question in her eyes so without further ado he kissed her.

"Lie back down." He whispered into her mouth, she did and he turned her around again so that she was back on her back facing him. He grabbed both of her hands lacing her fingers with his above her head..

Rachel smiled up at him as she wrapped her legs around him in an act of pure need.

Ross took the silent hint and picked up his pace some more. They were both panting and sweating. He could feel himself losing control as he closed in on the point of no return.

Rachel gasped loudly as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She was trembling when she took the plunge and went over the edge. She let out a long soft moan as she locked her eyes with Ross.

He could feel her inner muscles spasm around him, he gasped out as he dipped his head to kiss her thoroughly while moaning into her. He held onto her tightly as he rode the waves of pleasure that racked his body.

They both fell back against the soft pillows, gasping and sweating, tired but satisfied.

Rachel shared a look with him before she snuggled up to him resting her head on his chest. She drew lazy circles on his stomach as she pondered something in her head.

Ross recognized the look in her eyes, she'd had that look just moments before and curious as he was, he asked her again what was on her mind.

This time Rachel let out a soft sigh before answering honestly.

"Well, before I was wondering if I would regret doing this with you now." She said absentmindedly.

Ross raised his brows at that, "And?"

"And.........I most certainly don't regret a thing about tonight." Rachel said firmly. Ross smiled at that.

"Well that is good to hear because I most certainly don't regret this either." He said softly.

"So then this was our second Bonus Night then." Rachel said looking up at him. Ross played with her hair.

"Yes, and I've got to say, this one was even better then the first because this time we weren't drunk!" He joked

Rachel grinned at that. She laid back with her head on his chest just breathing slowly in and out. She was sure that sleep would no longer evade her after such tiring yet pleasant activities. Her eyes began to droop while she let out a yawn.

"Wow!" Ross suddenly said. Rachel looked back up at him again with half closed eyes, she saw that he was looking around the bedroom they were in with a look of awe on his face.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"I can't believe I just had sex in Rachel Greene's room with said person." Ross said seriously as he looked down at her. She stared up at him for a moment before they both burst out in soft laughter.

This night wouldn't change anything between them and yet they somehow grew a little closer again...

END!


	17. Revelations at the Beach

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**15; Revelations at the Beach.**

**A/N;**** Hi! Welcome to the 15****th**** ficlet in this little series of mine. I'm so happy that it is still going strong like this.**

**This ficlet deals with TOA The Beach, one of my absolute favorite episodes of the series. It is such an amazing RnR episode so of course I had to write for it! I tried to write in both their POV"s but I ended up writing more in Rachel's then Ross' (This is sooooo long, it is 8500+ words man, I'm so sorry!)**

**Enjoy!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

To say that she was over-packed was the understatement of the year! Monica shook her head in disbelieve as she looked at the three bags of luggage her friend was was packing.

"Just how long do you think we'll be gone for?" She asked.

Rachel just gave her a look.

"You never know what might happen out there, I'd rather be over-packed then ….then you know." she replied.

Monica lifted her brows at that.

"Sure........okay whatever suits your mood, I'm going to go and get some last minute grocery shopping done, see you in a bit."

Rachel just nodded her head. She placed her bags on her bed. She was really excited to go to the beach. She felt like she needed this break from everything. Lately she had been feeling kind of strange. She sat down on her bed with a sigh.

She smiled slightly to herself when she remembered the fact that Bonnie wouldn't be going with them. She didn't admit it out loud, but she actually felt kind of jealous and sad seeing Ross so happy nowadays.

She shook her head, she would not go there again. She stood up and walked out into the living room. The door opened and Ross walked in.

"Hey Rach, where is Monica?" He asked in a hurry.

"Out doing some last minute grocery shopping, why?" Rachel said curious.

"Oh......well I remembered she wanted to go by the market, don't know why though. She asked me if I could see if it was set up today and it is."

Ross grabbed a drink from the fridge.

"Oh hey, you wanna join me to the market then? I'm going to get some sunscreen and other beach necessities there, it's a lot cheaper then buying it at the store."

Rachel thought for a moment. She was all done packing and they wouldn't leave for the beach for at least a few hours.

"Sure." She said. She followed Ross out of the apartment.

The market was busy with people. The weather was nice so a lot of people were outside roaming the streets and just enjoying themselves. They pushed past several people before they finally found the stand they were looking for.

"So many choices." Ross said with a sigh as he looked at all the bottles and tubes of sunscreen, lotion and after-sun milk. Each had it's own protection factor printed on the front. Ross thought for a moment while Rachel roamed the rest of the stand.

There were sunglasses in all sizes and colors. She looked around some more as she waited for Ross to be finished.

"See anything you like?" Ross asked suddenly, he was holding about six bottles of sunscreen in his hands.

"You're really getting that many?" Rachel asked pointing to the bottles in his hands while she lifted her brows.

"No, actually I was wondering if you could help me out. Which is the best?"

Rachel chuckled at that, "What, you can't figure that out for yourself?" She joked.

Ross just gave her an amused look, "I could, but I know I'll take the wrong one so I'm putting my fate in your hands, make sure to pick the right one. I don't want to return home red as a lobster!" He said that last part with such a serious face that Rachel couldn't help but laugh out loud at him.

She observed the bottles in his hands, she knew that he burned easily so he needed a high protection factor.

"This one." She said taking a small light blue bottle from him.

"Sure?" Ross gave a her thankful look.

"You're weird.", Rachel said with a smile. She was having a good time, she hadn't expected too. She realized just how much she missed spending time with him. They hadn't done something like this, just hanging out with each other in a long while.

She waited for Ross to pay for his purchase but he wasn't getting in line, instead he was looking at some other items on the stand. She raised a brow as she realized just what he was looking at.

"You do realize those are women's hats right?" she said with a grin.

Ross just nodded, "Yes I do, see one you like?"

Rachel gave him a look before she let her eyes roam the many different hats that hung from the ceiling of the market-stand. One really stood out, it was big and just perfect in her eyes.

"Hmm yeah actually I do, I think I'm getting that big one." She said with a smile.

Ross lifted his brows at that. "Isn't that a little too big though?" He wondered.

"No, it's perfect, it will give me some good protection against the heat from the sun." Rachel said taking the hat from its hook. Ross took it from her hands.

"Hey!" She said surprised.

"I'll get it for you, you know to thank you for helping me." Ross said winking at her. Rachel couldn't help but feel a little giddy at that.

"Thanks!" She accepted the plastic bag with the hat in it from him, "That's nice of you."

Ross just shrugged his shoulders at her, a smile was around his lips. He was enjoying himself a lot. It had been too long that he and Rachel had hung out like this. He followed her to the end of the market back to her building as he checked his watch.

"Oh! I gotta go get my stuff and meet Phoebe!" He said surprised at how time had flown by.

Rachel checked the time as well.

"You're right, wow time flew by didn't it?"

"Yeah, I had fun though. I'm glad we hung out for a bit." Ross said with a smile.

Rachel nodded as she looked at him. She had to admit that she'd had great time too.

" Okay see you in a bit, be sure to be ready to go in half an hour okay." Ross said. With that he turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Rachel watched him go, a slight blush on her cheeks. She shook her head slightly before she took the last steps towards her building. She had a feeling this weekend was going to be fun.

When she arrived at their meeting place in front of Central Perk half an hour later, Ross and Phoebe were already there . Ross was putting the bags of the others in the back of the yellow cab.

"Hey!" Rachel greeted with a smile while she struggled with her bags. Everyone greeted her back.

"Hey, check out that hat!" Joey said grinning.

Chandler observed her for a moment before he pointed at her.

"Wait a minute! I know that hat! I was taken aboard that hat, they did experiments on me! I can't have children!" He joked. Rachel just gave him a look.

Monica chuckled slightly, "Seriously, where did you get the hat?" She asked.

"Ross gave it to me."

"I think she looks good!" Ross said smiling. Rachel fought the blush that rose to her cheeks as she faced him.

"Thank you!", she said with a smile. The others watched the interactions with curious and confused looks. Then Chandler voiced what they all were wondering.

"Did he buy it for you...or win it for you...?"

Rachel thought for a moment, some how she just didn't want them to know that he had bought it for her, she almost felt as if that was a little secret between her and Ross.

"Well my fashion-impaired friends, I'm here to tell you that hats are back!"

"And this time they've ganged up to form one giant super hat!" Phoebe joked with a smile.

They all got into the cab, ready for their weekend of relaxation and fun on the beach under the warm sun.

But things didn't turn out quite the way they would have wanted. When they arrived at the beach house, the rain was pouring down heavily. They hurriedly got inside only to be surprised by the huge amount of sand that greeted them.

"Whoa."

"Yeah, Bob said there might be flood damage." Phoebe said.

"Either that or he has a really big cat." Ross replied.

"Oh well, come on let's see how many rooms this house has got!" Phoebe said excited. They all trudged up the stairs. There were 5 bedrooms in total and two bathrooms.

"Nice!" Joey said.

"Now let's see, there are 5 bedrooms and six of us, someone has to share." Phoebe said matter of factly.

"We'll share no problem." Chandler and Joey said as they peeked into one of the bigger rooms. It had a bed and a rather large sofa in it.

"Okay problem solved then!" They all fanned out to the remaining four rooms.

Rachel plopped down on her bed, it seemed pretty comfortable. She put her bags in the corner of the room. She set the hat aside on one of the night stands by her bed.

She noticed a rather large window at the other side of the room. She stood up to open it just the slightest. The fresh breeze filtered in, she felt some rain drops on her face as she opened the window some more but she didn't mind it. The view was simply breathtaking. She could hear the ocean waves crash into the shore even though she couldn't see the beach clearly.

Rachel closed the window again before she stepped back into the hallway. She walked down to the living area again. The sight that greeted here was a surprising one.

Ross was relaxing on a beach chair while Joey and Chandler were building sandcastles, well at least she thought they were. Monica was in the kitchen busily preparing some drinks.

She crossed the room towards her friend.

"Hey, want some Margarita's?" Monica said with a smile as she mixed the ingredients.

"Sure, where is Phoebe?" Rachel wondered.

"Oh she went to that woman that knows her dad." Chandler said. Monica filled 5 glasses with the drink she had been preparing. She and Rachel handed them out. The others gratefully accepted them.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Joey asked no one in particular.

Chandler shrugged his shoulders while Ross took another sip from his drink.

"I'm good here." He said seriously. Rachel sat down opposite Monica and turned to face him.

"Yeah no wonder, you took the best chair in the house." she said.

"You snooze you lose." Ross retorted. Rachel rolled her eyes at that.

"Hey Rach, wanna paint my nails?." Monica said with a grin.

"Sure!" With that Rachel settled in her chair facing Monica so she could start.

For a moment everything was silent, no one really felt the need to talk. Chandler let out a sigh. This was boring, he wanted to go out and swim in the ocean but it was still raining. Ross was just relaxing in his chair with his eyes closed and Joey seemed to be deep in thoughts.

"Hey you know what a really good rainy day game is?" He said suddenly.

"What?" Monica asked curious.

"I mean naked game." Monica rolled her eyes at that.

"Strip poker, we should totally play strip poker!"

"No way, are you crazy?' Ross Monica and Rachel said in unison.

"Oh come on! When you go away, you have to play it1 It's like a law!" Joey said hoping to convince his friends.

Ross just shared a look with Rachel and Monica at that.

"All done!" Rachel said suddenly.

"Thanks." Monica said while she looked at her now colored nails.

"Okay, who's next?" Rachel said looking around the room before her eyes met Ross' She tilted her head slightly as she began to smile at him.

Ross recognized that look and he didn't like the way this might be going.

"No!", he said shaking his head.

Rachel sent him a pleading look.

"No way!"

"Oh come on! Please? I'm booored! You let me do it once before!" Rachel said.

Ross looked at Chandler and Joey for a moment who were giving him surprised and confused stares.

He gulped slightly feeling just a little embarrassed.

He cleared his throat, "Yeah well if ah... if that's the rule this weekend." He said

Rachel slowly got up from her chair and started walking towards him with the nail polish brush in her hands.

"Get away, stay away!" Ross said seriously.

"Oh come on Ross take it like a man!" Rachel said as she closed in on him. Ross quickly got up from his chair to get away from her.

"No!" He said leaping across the room, he quickly dashed towards Joey and Chandler, destroying their sandcastle in the process while Rachel chased him delivering the final destroying blow to the ruined piece of sand art.

"Big bullies!" Chandler yelled out.

Ross and Rachel didn't hear him however, Ross took a change and jumped over the back of the couch landing in the soft cushions. Without thinking twice, Rachel followed him resulting in her landing on top of him.

Monica watched their interactions with interest.

"Ow, no no no no no!" Ross said taking a hold of her arms and flipping her so she was next to him. Her leg was still draped over his hips as she struggled to free herself from his grasp. Ross held on tightly, she was holding the nail polish brush in her hand and tried to attack him with it but he was stronger then she so that resulted in her getting nail polish all over her forehead. They were both laughing but suddenly as they their eyes met, they stopped. They just stared at each other. Something was happening in that moment. Rachel blushed in spite of herself. Just as she was about to say something the door flew open and Phoebe stepped in.

Ross let go of her so she could sit up. They both began to feel just a little awkward

"So how are we doing?" Phoebe asked.

"Bored and bored!" Chandler said.

"Hey you know what naked card game is never boring?" Joey said hopeful.

"NO!" Monica said immediately.

She asked Phoebe about her meeting with the woman that knew her dad. Phoebe told her that it had been great and that she would have dinner with her the next evening. She had a feeling that she knew where her dad was.

"So you're all bored?" Phoebe said turning to the rest of the gang that had surrounded her.

They all agreed on that.

"Alright, I'm going to close my eyes and point to some one. And whoever I point has to come up with something fun for us to do and we have to do it!" She said.

"Okay, fan out!" Joey said quickly, he was hoping Phoebe would point at him. He already knew what game he would suggest.

Phoebe took a few spins before she stopped and pointed at Chandler.

He thought for a moment, "Okay, we all have to....play strip poker?" he said hesitant.

"Ah YES!"Joey yelled excited jumping up in the air. The others just shook their head. This was going to be interesting.

"Okay, I'm going to the bathroom, why don't you guys go see if you can find some cards?" Monica said.

Chandler and Joey rummaged through the cabinets and closets while Ross and Rachel set up the table, placing 6 chairs around it so they all could sit. Rachel grabbed the last pitcher of Margarita's and placed it on the table.

"Well, we didn't find any cards but there is a Happy Day's game." Chandler said.

"That'll do!" Joey said taking the box from Chandlers hands and setting the game up on the table. Chandler raised his brows, this could be interesting.

Ross sat down next to Rachel.

"This is going to be fun." He said grinning. Rachel smiled at him.

"I guess." she said softly. She could feel the heat that radiated off his body because they were sitting so close together.

Chandler Joey and Phoebe sat down too.

"Okay whoever rolls the highest number goes first!" Joey said rolling the dices. He scored a 7

Monica returned from the bathroom, she lifted her brows when she noticed the game they were starting to play.

"Strip Happy Days game?!" She said sceptically.

"We couldn't find any cards so it was either this or strip bag of old knitting stuff." Joey retorted

Monica accepted the dice from him and threw them on the table while she went to sit in her chair.

It was Ross' turn, he had to pick a card from the board.

"Okay Fonzie gives you two thumbs up, collect two cool points!" He read aloud, he leaned into Rachel so she could read along with him.

Phoebe explained to Monica how some one had to take an item of clothing whenever some one collected 5 cool points.

Ross picked up the dice a second time and got ready to roll them.

"Okay come one! Daddy needs a new pair of electro magnetic microscopes for the pre-historic forensics department!" Everybody just gave him a look. He quickly rolled the dice and picked up another card. This time it was Rachel who leaned into to him so she could read his card along with him. Monica lifted her brows as she quietly observed her friends, something was going on.

"Take Pinky Toscedaro up to inspiration point, collect three cool points! Which means I have five and let's see, who should take of their clothes?" He said grinning.

"I think I pick our strip poker sponsor, Mr Joey tribbiani!"

Joey's smile vanished for a moment before he took of a shoo. His friends were making cat calls at him.

"Okay relax, it's just a shoe."

Everybody laughed at that and played on.

They sipped their margarita's at a slow pace but still Rachel could feel that she was getting just a little light headed. But then again, that could also be caused by Ross' close proximity, she didn't know how and when it happened but they were now actually sitting so close that their bodies were touching.

Ross glanced at her for second, smiling. Rachel felt her heart flutter in her chest at that and immediately scolded herself mentally for it. She shouldn't be feeling this way about him anymore. She scooted to the other side a little so that they were not touching anymore.

"You okay?" Came a soft whisper, they had paused the game for a moment for a much needed bathroom break.

"Rach?' Ross said concerned. She seemed to be spacing out.

He gently touched her arm That got her attention.

"What?' She said almost bewildered.

"Nothing, I was just wondering how you were, you seemed kind of spaced out." Ross said, his hand was still on her arm. He gently squeezed her for a moment before he let go.

Rachel licked her lips and hurriedly grabbed her drink to take a sip.

"I'm fine, beginning to feel a little light headed though." She said after a few moments.

Ross chuckled at that, "I'm sure you're not the only one."

When they all were seated again they continued their game. Poor joey was losing more and more items of his clothing till he was just in his boxers.

"Your band is paying at Arnold, collect three cool points!, That means I have five so I get Joey's boxers!" Rachel said grinning. Ross chuckled before he took another sip of his drink.

Joey, however was not very amused.

"Fine gang up on me, I got you all right where I want ya!" He said.

"Take them off!" Phoebe said.

"Actually, it is kind of cold so how about I keep my boxers on and give you all a peek at the good stuff?" Joey said hopeful.

"Alright I'm making more Margarita's!" Rachel said before she emptied the pitcher into Ross' glass.

"Whoa, hey what are you doing? Trying to get me drunk?" Ross said chuckling. Rachel just stared at him for a moment.

"I'm just making Margarita's!" She said smiling back at him.

Monica couldn't stand it anymore. She had to know something.

"Think I'll help her out!" She said suddenly while she got up to walk towards Rachel who was already busily fixing a new pitcher of drinks.

"What is going on here?" Monica asked with a curious smile on her face. Rachel looked at her, not knowing what she was getting at.

"What?"

"You, painting his toenails, chasing him around the room.." Monica said to clarify herself.

"Monica please!" Rachel said hastily. She didn't know what to say to that.

"He's totally flirting with you too!" Monica said serious. She observed Rachel who was just staring at her for a moment.

A smile appeared on her face, "He is isn't he?" Rachel couldn't stop smiling as she started to try and explain it to her friend.

"I don't know, maybe it's just being here at the beach together or I don't know but it's like something..." She abruptly stopped talking when she noticed the door opening. They all turned towards the noise and noticed that someone had just stepped into the room.

It was Bonnie.

Monica looked at Rachel for a moment before watching the interaction between Bonnie and Ross . Bonnie explained how her boss let her off early so she took a cab to join them.

Rachel swallowed slightly, she had not expected this. She felt a surge of anger and disappointment go through her but she shook it off. There was nothing she could do about the situation now could she?

"What are you guys doing?" Bonnie asked incredulously as she witnessed Joey's almost naked state and a board game on the table.

"We're playing strip-Happy days game!" Joey said with renewed enthusiasm.

"Cool I'll catch up!" without a second thought, Bonnie took of her shirt. Rachel decided that she just didn't want to be in the same room with her anymore. She couldn't believe she just took her top off like that. She muttered something under her breath. Monica heard it and shot her a sympathetic look.

"Actually, you can take my place if you want, I don't feel like playing anymore." Rachel said as she placed the refilled pitcher of drinks on the table.

"Why not?" Chandler asked.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders, she looked at Ross for a moment who shot her a concerned look.

"I feel light headed and a bit tired, see you guys in the morning." Without another word she trudged up the stairs to her room...

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm going for a walk." Rachel said. She was already in a foul mood and seeing Ross and Bonnie so cheerful and happy in the morning was not improving her mood at all. She stepped off the front porch and breathed in the salty but fresh ocean air. She stretched her arms out before she just started walking forwards, there was a sandy path leading from the house to the beach. She decided to take that one, the weather had cleared enormously. The sun was shining brightly already even though it still was kind of early.

She reached a small set of stairs that led down to the beach area. She walked down till the edge of the water, taking her slippers off, she let the cool water wash over her feet. The beach was almost completely deserted. She let out a sigh as she walked along the shore with her slippers in hand. The cool water was soothing her. She watched an elderly couple walking just a few meters ahead of her. She felt a pang of jealousy seeing them happy and laughing.

She could've known that things wouldn't be that easy, they never were when it came to her and Ross. She missed him everyday a little more. It was not as if she didn't see him anymore but she missed their shared intimacy, his gentle hugs and kisses. She wanted it back. But she didn't know if she was ready for that. Thinking back at the happenings that caused their break-up still managed to make her upset.

She sighed miserable as she plopped down on the cool sand near the edge of the water. She forgot to bring her sunglasses, she squinted her eyes to shield them from the sunlight. She wished she was wearing her hat now.

She thought back to where she and Ross had roamed the market together, she'd had a great time then just being able to be in his presence again without any awkwardness.

"Rachel!"

She looked to her right when she thought someone called her name. Sure enough there was someone coming towards her waving their arms vividly. She tried to make out just who it was. When they came closer she saw it was more than one person.

Chandler and Joey catched their breath when they stood still in front of her.

"Hey!" Joey said with a smile. He put the bag he was carrying down on the sand next to him.

"Hey, what's going on?" Rachel said in surprise.

"We all thought it would be nice to spend the day at the beach since the weather cleared so nicely." Chandler said. He was also carrying a bag which he put down.

"All of you are coming?" she said trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah, see there is the rest." Joey said pointing towards the spot they had just came from.

Soon enough, everybody was crowded around her.

"Hey Rach, where did you disappear too?" Ross said curiously. Rachel didn't look at him when she answered him.

"Felt like taking a walk, there nothing wrong with that is there?" She answered.

Ross furrowed his brows at her harsh tone. Something was bothering her.

"No there isn't." he said.

"Come on! Last one in the water is a rotten egg!" Bonnie yelled all of a sudden. She had already stripped down to her bathing suit and was sprinting towards the water followed by Joey and Phoebe. Chandler sat down on his towel putting his sunglasses on and Monica was busy lathering her arms in a thick layer of sunscreen.

Ross spread out two towels, one next to Rachel and one next to that one. He sat down on the one next to her but didn't say a word, instead he stared off in the distance. Rachel didn't know what to do, she felt kind of uncomfortable and a little regretful about her rather harsh outburst just moments ago.

"Come on! Let's get in to the water!" Monica said loudly as she pulled on Rachel's arm.

"I don't want to and even if I did want too I couldn't, I didn't bring my bathing suit!" Rachel said hastily. Monica let go of her shrugging her shoulders at that. Then she turned around and simply almost dragged Chandler to the edge of the water where Joey Phoebe and Bonnie had started a game of catch with a beach-ball.

Ross watched his friends having fun, he wanted to join them and he would but not before he figured something out first.

"So, what's bothering you?" He suddenly asked turning his head so he was facing her. Rachel bushed slightly in spite of herself, he had caught her staring at him.

"Nothing is bothering me." Rachel said firmly. Though the look in his eyes told her that he didn't believe her one bit yet he didn't say anything else.

The sun was radiant and it was getting hotter. Rachel almost regretted not bringing her swim clothes.

Ross observed her from the corner of his eyes. He didn't like the somewhat awkward silence that hung between them right now but there wasn't much that he could do about it. He felt a little disappointed that she wouldn't talk to him, he could see that she was clearly annoyed and bothered by something but he couldn't figure out just what it was.

He felt the heat of the sun on his naked arms, he wore a singlet and swim-trunks. He grabbed the bottle of sunscreen from the bag Joey had brought. He couldn't help but smile as he recalled when and with who he had purchased it. He glanced at her but she was staring off in the distance, seemingly deep in thoughts.

He applied the lotion to his arms and legs so that he wouldn't be burned to toast later when they returned to the beach house.

"You want some?" He asked but Rachel didn't hear him for he didn't get a response.

He put some on his hands and rubbed them together so the lotion warmed a bit before he softly touched her arm, rubbing the lotion into her warm skin.

Rachel jolted at the sudden touch on her arm and turned her head to face him.

'What are you doing?" she said surprised.

"Protecting you against the sun rays, you didn't answer me when I asked if you wanted some lotion so..." Ross trailed off, there was a small smile around his lips but he never stopped his touches. Rachel fought the blush that threatened to come out at his soft caresses on her arm. Her heartbeat had quickened and she couldn't look him in the eyes. She felt like a giddy schoolgirl and she hated it.

"Well I can do it myself." She said softly.

"I know." Ross replied, yet he squirted some more lotion on his hands and proceeded to rub it into the skin of her other arm, he leaned over her a bit to reach it. Rachel could feel the warmth that radiated off him, she began to feel light headed again but this time it wasn't because of alcohol.

He intoxicated her, he still made her feel weak in the knees when he was close to her and she didn't really know what to think of it. On one side she liked it but on the other side she hated it. She was supposed to be over him, especially after all that had happened between them. But she knew she couldn't fool her self, she still loved him but she would not admit that aloud.

She suddenly felt as if she was suffocating, he was too close and his touches on her arm drove her crazy with,............well something. She couldn't quite place it.

She shook his hands off her arms and shot him a look.

"I said I could do it myself." With that she proceeded to rub in the rest of the lotion not sparing one glance at him again for she was afraid just what she might do if she did, the tension was definitely there, she could feel it and she was almost certain he felt it too. That tiny yet powerful spark of energy that hung between them, it was dangerous to be so close to each other.

Ross cleared his throat, "Sorry." He said. Without looking back at her, he stood up to join the others in their game of catch. Rachel didn't realize she had been holding her breath till her body signaled for her to breathe because of oxygen shortage. She sighed as she stared at her friends, they seemed to have fun. Suddenly a wave of sadness came over her, she bit her lip not really knowing why she was feeling so down at the moment but it could very well have something to do with how she witnessed Ross and Bonnie canoodle in the Ocean together. She couldn't take it anymore.

She stood up brushing the sand of her dress. Monica ,who came walking back to the towels, watched her friend step back to the stairs that let to the path to the beach house. She had seen everything that had transpired just moments ago. She let out a deep sigh as she sat down on her towel, somehow she knew that the tension between her brother and her best friend would break soon, she only hoped it would break in the right direction, not that it would hurt them both badly again...

Rachel was reading a book when Ross and Monica came back from the beach. She hardly looked up almost afraid to see the look in Ross' eyes even though she knew she was losing it. What kind of look was she expecting to see anyway?

"Hey Rachel, we're going to the local market to get some groceries. Want to join us?" Monica asked while Ross just walked past them both inside the house. He had seen how she had tried to avoid him, that bothered him. He was doubting himself now, did he hurt her in any possible way down at the beach? He didn't think he did but then again, he had been kind of crossing her personal space by touching her in such a way although he hadn't meant anything by it. He shrugged his shoulders, he was tired of poking around the hedge, if she didn't feel like talking to him then he wouldn't force her.

"See you later." He greeted her cheerful as he followed Monica . Rachel watched them leave until she couldn't see them anymore. The others were still at the beach. She let out a sigh when she turned yet another page in her book. The story was kind of addicting so it didn't take long for her to be absorbed by the letters and sentences on the thin paper pages.

She didn't realize that some one was coming up the small step to the house until Bonnie made her presence clear.

"Hey! What happened to you?"

Rachel resisted the urge to just ignore her.

"O nothing just felt like hanging out here and reading." She replied.

"Oh! The water was so great! We jumped of this pier and my suit came off!" Bonnie said chuckling.

Rachel had to count to three before she would blurt out something she would regret later.

"Oh sorry I missed that!" She said somewhat sarcastic.

"Joey and Chandler sure are funny!" Bonnie continued not even noticing the hint of sarcasm in Rachel's voice. Rachel just laughed sheepishly at that sentence, she wasn't really in the mood to talk right now. She turned back to her book, trying to read again.

"I think I brought back half of the beach in my hair! It was so much easier when I used to shave my head!" Bonnie bent over to towel dry her long locks.

Rachel looked at her while she did that, an idea forming in her head. She knew she shouldn't do it, she knew she should keep her mouth shut but this woman annoyed her so much that she didn't really thought of morals right now. This could be great and possibly,no she didn't let herself go there.

In the spur of the moment, without thinking twice, Rachel voiced her thoughts to Bonnie.

"You know, I just loved your look when you were bald!" She said with a grin.

"Really?" Bonnie asked in disbelieve. Rachel just nodded.

"Because I think about shaving it all off again sometimes!" Bonnie confessed. Rachel was rooting for herself inwardly, it seemed her little plan was going in the right direction, she just needed to nudge Bonnie one more time.

"Really? I mean you definitely should do that!" She said with a serious expression.

Bonnie looked at her for a moment, seeming to contemplate her words.

"You know what? I should do it! Thank you Rachel, you are so cool!" She rambled before going inside.

"Oh stop!" Rachel said jokingly. "Now go shave that head!" She watched Bonnie enter the house, looking ahead of her she couldn't help but feel tremendously good even though she probably should feel guilty. But somehow she just felt content. She knew what she was doing was wrong and mean but all rationality had left her for a moment.

She sat back against the bench to continue her journey through the book she had been reading, a small smile was around her lips and a mischievous sparkle was in her eyes.

When Ross saw Bonnie later that evening, he had the shock of his life! Literally. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her bald head. Everyone was shocked except for Rachel. No one seemed to see her giggling in her hands.

"Whoa, look at what you did?!" Ross said overwhelmed. Bonnie laughed at him.

"You wanna touch it?" she asked him. Ross swallowed the small lump in his throat.

"No." He said

"Oh come on touch it!" Bonnie said bending her head downwards so he looked down on the back of her head. He carefully laid a hand on her head, he could literally feel all the bones in her skull. It freaked him out.

He quickly let go.

"What brought this on?" he asked incredulously. Rachel's eyes widened at that, suddenly she became very aware of herself and the others around her. Suddenly she could see the wrongness of her actions quite clear. She cleared her throat while she grabbed her glass of wine.

"I'm going outside for some fresh air!" She said hastily making her way through the back-door. Monica stared after her, suspicions forming in her head.

"Let's go upstairs and I'll tell you all about it" Bonnie said with a smile as she took Ross' hand to lead him up the stairs. Ross glanced back at the three remaining shocked friends in the kitchen before he reached the top of the stairs.

Meanwhile, Rachel had taken a seat on the wooden bench she had occupied earlier that day when she was reading. She shivered slightly, the wind was getting pretty chilly. She spotted something in the corner of her eyes. It was a folded piece of fabric, when she unfolded it, it turned out to be Ross' beige sweater. She hugged it to her chest to inhale his lingering scent deeply. She guessed it couldn't hurt to put it on, she was cold. She felt a total sense of calmness come over her when she was wearing it but that was almost immediately replaced with thoughts of worries and anguish.

She was regretting her meddling in, now she did feel the guilt that gnawed on the corners of her conscious. She let out a nervous sigh. She was sure Bonnie would tell Ross about their little talk. She just hoped that he wouldn't be too mad.

Just when she started to relax again, said person walked out and turned to face her when he spotted her.

Ross looked at her for a moment, she was wearing his sweater, she looked good in it. He shook his head, he was not here to gawk over her, he needed to speak with her.

"Hi", he said as he put one of his feet on the bench next to her.

"Hi." Rachel said caught of guard, her voice was wavering for the slightest moment.

"I was having a little chat with Bonnie and guess what? She...she happened to bring up who was behind the whole head shaving idea and now who was it? Oh yeah that's right, it was you!" Ross said trying to stay calm, but it was hard, he had been frustrated with her behavior today already but this was definitely drawing the line. He felt angry at her.

Hey that was her idea, I just gave her a...a nudge." Rachel said, she could hear the annoyance in his voice, it didn't look good.

"She said you gave her the razor!" Ross didn't want to but he couldn't help it when his voice raised just a tad. Rachel tried to brush it off but she knew that wouldn't work now.

Right in that moment, Bonnie came outside. Rachel was happy for the interruption, her heart was beating so rapidly. How was she going to solve this?

Bonnie asked if someone wanted to join her on a midnight dip in the ocean but they both declined.

"Have fun!" Ross said with mixed emotions on his face.

Rachel stood up to stand beside him, she would not get away with this, she knew that so she might as well make the best of it.

" See , she doesn't look that bad!" She tried to sound convincing but she failed.

"You can see the moonlight bouncing of her head!" Ross said, he was trying his best not to show her his anger but he knew that she could hear it in his voice.

"What the Hell were you thinking?!" He suddenly asked in a raised voice

Rachel swallowed, "I don't know.." Rachel said turning away from him. She walked towards the small step but stopped there.

"You don't know?! Rach you balded my girlfriend!" Ross said almost yelling now. He didn't care anymore that his anger was showing. He'd had it up to his chin, her whole behavior had been weird and awkward to say the least and now this. He didn't understand it. He wanted to know why and he would get the answers out of her he swore it to himself.

"Alright!" Rachel said suddenly. This was it, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Ross, do you think it's easy for me to see you with somebody else?!" She said.

Ross didn't believe his ears, was she trying to tell him she did it out of jealousy? How long had they broken up now? It had been quite a while. Her tone felt accusing to him so he felt the need to justify it.

"No hey wait! You're the one that ended it remember?" He said angrily.

"Yeah because I was mad at you, not because I stopped loving you!" Rachel said yelled, giving him a piercing stare.

Ross had to take a double take, did he hear that right?

"You still love me?" he asked in disbelieve but a tiny shimmer of hope shined through.

Rachel could hit herself , she hadn't wanted that to come out of her mouth. What was she going to say to that?

"No." she said but it didn't sound convincing at all.

"You still love me!" Ross said incredulous. He could not help but feel rather happy and emotional hearing that revelation.

Rachel didn't know what to say, she was afraid to answer that query.

" Well...yeah so? You love me!" She retorted.

"N..no" Ross said shaking his head but Rachel could read the honest truth on his face. She swallowed softly. She kept her mouth shut, she didn't know how to continue on. But she didn't even need to think of that for Ross continued the conversation for her.

"So w..what does this mean? What are you...I mean do you wanna get back together?" Ross stammered.

" No! Maybe! I don't...I don't know." Rachel said hesitant. She felt insecure all of a sudden, she couldn't make up her mind, something was still in the way. She read the confusion on his face so she decided to tell him the truth, to tell him what was on her mind.

"Ross, I still can't forgive you for what you did......but sometimes when I'm with you I feel, I just.."

"What?" Ross asked taking a step closer to her. His eyes met hers, he could read the insecurities, the fear in them. It made him sad to see those emotions in her eyes but he also read something else, something he couldn't quite place and yet it was familiar to him.

Rachel felt a little uncomfortable as she stammered and muttered at him in incoherent sentences.

"I just.....I feel...I just.." , she couldn't say it, it was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't get it out. Ross was asking her what again but she just kept stammering. He was standing really close to her, their bodies were almost touching.

"I feel.." Rachel watched Ross bend his head slightly. Suddenly his mouth was on hers as he gave her a fast and small peck on the lips.

It had been fast, almost non existent and uncertain but she had felt it . She looked up at him, his expression was unreadable as she locked eyes with him.

Ross looked at her, her eyes told him things, words could never express.

As if hit by a shock, they both felt something click, something connected as they both met in a desperate intense kiss. They both had missed each other so much, although they didn't want to admit it out loud, they both could feel it in the franticness of the kiss. Rachel felt his warm hands on her face, his thumbs were caressing her cheeks. Their mouth's were moving in perfect sync as she started to put her hands on his cheeks too.

A sound from within the house alarmed her, she hastily but gently pushed Ross backwards, effectively breaking the unfinished lip lock. His face mirrored the annoyance she felt inside of her when Chandler and Joey emerged from the house.

"No! I don't care! I'm not playing strip poker with you for practice!" Chandler said as he walked over to where Ross and Rachel were standing.

"But I made cards!" Joey pleaded joining them.

Ross and Rachel stared at each other before Rachel broke the silence that followed Joey's sentence.

"Huh goodnight!" she said nodding at Chandler and Joey. Then she locked eyes with Ross.

"I'm going upstairs." she said, Ross didn't miss the hidden meaning in her words as she walked past him. He turned around to face her one more time. She touched her lips with her fingers before she rest her hand on her chest over her heart. Ross was in a dilemma now.

When she was gone, he turned to his two best friends.

"Wanna play strip poker for practice?" Joey asked with a big grin. Ross just gave him a look before he took a seat on the wooden bench, his legs felt like jelly all of a sudden.

He told them what happened between him and Rachel.

After he was done, Joey grinned at him happily. "I'm telling you! You guys are totally getting back together!" He said cheerful.

" That's not true, she doesn't even know what she wants! Rachel is still mad about the whole thing." Ross said.

" Okay well then you gotta back away", Chandler said. "You don't need that kinda hurt. Take it from a guy who's ...never been in a long term relationship." He trailed off.

"I know but...............aah I really wanna go up there and finish that kiss!" Ross said. He couldn't help it but he longed for her so badly right now, that kiss had been so good and so familiar to him. He'd missed her so much.

At that moment, Bonnie came back from her night dip in the ocean, after talking to the guys for a nit and saying goodnight, she went into the house.

"Don't be too long." She said to Ross.

"Okidoki!" Ross said as he folded his arms over his chest.

" There is not one hair on that head!" Chandler said.

Ross stood up and started to walk around a bit before he replied.

"Hey it will grow back right? And she..she's really fun and she is cool! and...and I'm finally moving on you know. I mean getting over Rachel was so........aaargh!. You know, I'm finally feeling sane again and now if I go up there and...and kiss her........God I wanna kiss her! And it doesn't work out? Do I really wanna put myself through that again?" he said.

"So let me get this straight, if you go with Bonnie tonight you're doing the smart healthy thing and moving on! But if you go with Rachel tonight............Bonnie's free?" Joey said. Ross just gave him a look.

" I............I'm going to bed" Ross said tiredly.

Meanwhile up in her room, Rachel was laying on her bed. She was hugging Ross' sweater close to her as she stared out of the window. It was ink black out and her position on the bed didn't let her see much of the scenery outside the window but she didn't care.

Her head was spinning, her mind was in jumbles as different thoughts and scenarios played out before her mind's eye.

She couldn't help but hope that Ross would come in and finish that amazing kiss they just shared moments ago. Rachel touched her fingers to her lips, her mouth felt tingly. The sensation of familiarity and franticness had overwhelmed her at first before she sunk totally into the kiss. She silently cursed Chandler and Joey for their bad timing.

A knock on her door made her almost jump up in shock. Her heart was racing in her chest as she opened the door to reveal Bonnie.

" Hi" she said with a rather uncomfortable expression on her face.

" Hi", Rachel replied in surprise.

" Can you help me put after-sun on my head, I burned it badly." Bonnie asked.

" Uhm sure!" Rachel said. It was the least she could do. She grabbed the after-sun from Bonnie's hands and started to apply the lotion on her head.

Ross was trudging up the stairs, he was so confused. He stopped when he reached his bedroom door. He looked to his left, there was Rachel's door. He was at a crossroad and now he had to decide which path he would take. Bonnie was the safe route, they were happy together.

Rachel was the bumpy and complicated route but he found that so exciting. He was switching his stares between the two doors over and over again.

Then he just made a decision. He needed to finish that kiss and he needed to see if maybe he could have something back of his amazing time with the woman of his dreams.

He turned towards the left door and gently turned the knob,opening it.

" Hi" …...

The END!


	18. Obsession

**Litte Glimpses of Love.**

**16; Obsession.**

**A/N: **** Hi! Welcome to the 16****th**** chapter in this series! I'm glad you all still like to read my journey's into the phenomenon that we call RnR.**

**This ficlet deals the episode TOA Ross says Rachel. It sparked forth after I heard Rachel taking to Phoebe on the phone.**

**She says something along the lines of "He sees me in a bikini for the first time and the obsession begins."**

**This ficlet is in Ross' POV and his Perspective! It also deals with teenaged!Ross Rachel and Monica and Ross might seem a bit out of character I think..**

**Hope you enjoy this little one!**

**Onwards!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

'I'm bored, I'm warm and I'm annoyed..yes I feel all those things at the same time while I'm on a bench in the mall waiting for my sister and parents. They are in the grocery store getting the last items off mom's checklist. I hate shopping, it takes so long and it is such a waste of time. I could be at home doing something useful but no instead I'm here on a hard wooden bench watching people walk past me back and forth. I look around till I spot the big clock that hangs above a rather large fountain. I've been sitting here for almost half an hour now. One of the bags that accompany me falls down on the floor. I pick it up. Honestly, I don't know why we need all this stuff.

"No mom! I won't go swimming in that!"

Monica's voice shocks me out of my boring thoughts. She stalks towards me with a look on her face that make the hairs on my neck stand straight up.

She's mad.

"What's going on?" I ask carefully, I'd rather not be the one catching the brunt of her foul mood but I'm curious why she is so mad at the moment so I'm wiling to take that risk.

"Nothing." My sister doesn't look at me when she says it so I know she is lying but I decide not to press the matter. Instead I turn to my parents with a heavy sigh.

"Can we go now?!"

"Sure thing son." My dad doesn't look too happy to be stuck at the mall neither. I help him gather up the many bags of items we purchased.

"But Monica, what is wrong with it?" I hear my mom ask in bewilderment. I decide to quicken my step.

"Just drop it, I'm not wearing it. Period!" Monica stomps her feet as she passes me. She opens the car door rather violently before she crawls in and slams it shut with such ferocity that for a moment I'm afraid the door will fall off it's hinges It doesn't.

I get in the car myself, happy to feel the coolness of the build in air-co to graze my slightly sweaty skin. It's summer and it's hot.

I glance at my sister who is muttering under her breath. I shrug my shoulders at her before I relax against the back of the backseat. I watch the landscape fly by. We are close to home. I sit up a little straighter when we drive through a certain well known street just a few yards away from our own. I crane my neck to see if I can catch a glimpse of her.

Today is my lucky day! She is standing on the driveway to her house. The moment she recognizes our car she smiles and waves. I hesitantly wave back, my cheeks feel suspiciously warm.

Monica is waving frantically as if she is sending her best friend some sort of signal. We turn around the corner, she is no longer visible. A surge of disappointment goes through me.

"Finally!", Monica groans as she gets out of the car, she gathers her own bags and hurriedly makes her way into the house, I have no doubt that she is locking herself up in her room again. She seems to do that a lot lately. I help my parents put the rest of the stuff away before I retreat to the backyard. As I step down the stone steps onto the green grass of out lawn, I can't help but smile when I see our newest addition to the house.

The pool is round and large, filled to the brim with sparking water. There is a section where you can sit on some sort of stone chairs in the shallow water. The further you walk to the middle of it, the deeper it gets. I can't wait to test it out.

I walk back into the house, the sun is too hot. I wonder if I should just jump into the new pool in my clothes but shake that idea off as I proceed to the stairs. I'm going to change into some swim-gear.

I'm halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it!" I sort of yell, making my way down the stairs again. I reach out and open the door. Rachel Greene is on the other side flashing me one of the most dazzling smiles I have ever seen. I feel my throat go dry.

"Hey Ross, I'm here for Monica where is she at?"

I don't trust my voice right now, I'm so taken aback by her sudden appearance. Yeah sounds cheesy but sadly that is the truth. I Ross Geller have been bitten by the love-bug and it makes me do stupid stuff and say cheesy lines, you can't blame me. I just point up the stairs, she seems to get it because she walks past me up said stairs.

The smell of lemon and honey assaults my nose as she walks me by and I love it. I inhale deeply without her noticing …..............I hope.

I wait for a few seconds before I follow her up the stairs. I see her entering Monica's room when I enter the first floor of our house. Feeling just a little dejected that I couldn't catch another glimpse of her, I climb the second set of stairs that lead to the second floor where my room is at.

I let myself fall back on my bed, the AC* is blowing cold air in my heated face, I'm sure I have been blushing. I hate that. I close my eyes thinking of that precious moment by the front door. Even though it was short I can still remember every little detail of her appearance. I know she is wearing a yellow summer dress that reaches just till her knees with white flip flops on her feet. Crazy how such things get stuck in my head during those little moments of interactions I have with her on quite a regular basis actually. My sister being best friends with her has a lot to do with that.

I've practically known Rachel all my life and it wasn't always like this for me, I mean I thought she was nice and all but nothing more. Guess teenage hormones make you see things in a different light and boy do they do that for me. I am head over heels for her, I can't hep it. I love observing her whenever we happen to have a same class. Though she is a year lower then me we sometimes share a classroom.

I'll tell you something, those few shared moments are the highlights of my schooldays. I steal glances at her whiteout her noticing. I love the way she sometimes curls her long hair around a finger when she is concentrating or the way she doodles little drawings on her notepad when she is bored. But most of all I love it when she just stares out of the window with that dreamy look in her eyes. I always long to know what is going on in her mind, what she is thinking of.

She is truly beautiful in my eyes. She's grown a lot. I try and not to stare at her too much when I see her practicing her cheers. She is a member of the cheer squad. She looks terrific in her cheer costume, the skirt shows off her long tanned legs wonderfully.

I feel my face grow warm so I shake my head before any not so innocent thought have the change to invade my mind. I think I'm going to get a little swimming done before supper...

There is loud music coming from Monica's room as I pass by her door. I walk into the bathroom opposite of her room to get a large towel before I head downstairs into the garden.

"What are you going to do son?" My dad gives me a strange look. I admit I do not look very charming in an over sized t shirt that actually covers my swim gear. But I just didn't want to walk around the house half naked while I know that she is here. The fact that I am wearing speedo's that aren't exactly loose doesn't make that idea any more appealing but it's the only swim gear I have at the moment.

"Swimming." I answer as I walk past him. I hurriedly step into the garden and dismiss my towel on one of the garden chairs. I hastily take the shirt off before jumping in the pool.

The water is nice and refreshingly cool in this hot weather. I lazily swim around without a care in the world, seriously this is the life! I swim across the pool to get to the shallow side of it. There is a new floating mattress just waiting to be floated on and I of course can't pass up the opportunity. I clumsily climb up on it once I am back in the middle of the pool. The sun rays are warm on my wet skin as I close my eyes and put my arms behind my head. I could stay like this forever, just floating aimlessly not a care in the world. I close my eyes and just enjoy the silence that surrounds me.

Even outside, I can hear the music coming from Monica's room because her window is opened slightly and it looks out over the back yard. I wonder what they are doing in there. Probably dancing or doing something girly I'm sure. I can't help the smile that breaks out on my face as I imagine Rachel dancing to the loud tunes in Monica's room. I'm sure she's a great dancer, being a cheerleader and all. I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I don't hear someone calling for me until it sounds really loud in my ears.

I open my eyes and see that Monica is standing at the edge of the pool yelling at me.

"What is it?" I ask

"Finally geesh, were you sleeping or something?"

I shake my head and am about to say something back when I notice that Monica is not alone at the edge of the pool, Rachel is with her looking at me as well. I feel my cheeks flush as I suddenly realize that I am practically naked on top of a floating mattress with wet clingy speedo's on that aren't very concealing to begin with. I feel my face grow even warmer as I hastily sit up, well try to. In my haste I grab the side of the floating mattress and promptly turn myself over. I splutter and cough violently as I emerge from the water again. I hear laughter from the side of the pool.

I frown as I witness Monica and Rachel clutching their sides laughing their heads off.

"Haha very funny!" I say, I'm quite embarrassed and hearing them laugh at me does not make me feel any better!

"What do you want Monica?!" I say harsher then I intended but I don't care.

"Dad asked me to ask you to get the grill out of the garden house, we' re having a cookout to celebrate the new pool." She says matter of factly and still grinning. I'd do anything to wipe that smug grin off her face at this moment.

"Fine, I'll get it in a minute!" I yell back at her. She just grins at me before taking a hold of Rachel's arm to drag her away. " Come on, let's get your stuff!"

My heart beats just a bit faster after hearing that last sentence, it appears that Rachel will be staying over again, she does that all the time actually. My ears begin to burn as I contemplate something in my head. Does that mean that she will be swimming too? My thoughts immediately drift off imagining what it would be like to see her in a bathing suit in my pool, wet and........I shake my head, I need to stop this. A familiar sensations pools in my stomach tingling further downwards. Suddenly my speedo's feel a lot tighter then they usually do.

I am so happy that Monica and Rachel are out of sight.

"Nana in a bikini, Nana in a bikini with loose wrinkled skin everywhere!" I repeat that mantra over and over again hoping to get out of this embarrassing situation I'm currently finding myself in. Stupid teen hormones! Honestly, it's nerve wrecking. I feel my body calm down somewhat but I don't trust myself to get up and out of the water just yet.

"Ross? Didn't Monica find you?"

I look up at my dad as I swim towards the edge of the pool.

"Yeah she did, you want me to get the grill right?" I say as I pull my self up and out of the pool. Hastily I grab the towel I brought with me and wrap it around my waist.

"Right!" My dad walks over to the garden house, I follow him. Together we manage to get the grill out, no easy feat mind you it's rather large.

"So how is the pool?"

"It's great!" I answer with a smile as we both set up the grill near the pool but on the grass.

"Well that's good, it sure does look amazing." My dad has a far off expression in his eyes, I just grin at it.

"Yeah I think the girls will enjoy it too." he says before turning to leave. I stay rooted to the spot. So Rachel is going to swim with Monica and me. That poses a dilemma for me. I'm not getting in the pool with these stupid speedo's on again if she is here. They're way too revealing. I could just sit in the garden without swimming, maybe do some reading. I shake my head, no that won't do any good, mom will ask questions then.

New swimtrunks it is then! I hastily run up to my dad.

"Dad can I borrow the car please?"

" For what?" He says with an arched eyebrow.

"Uhm I need to go to the mall real quick to get something."

" We just got back from there a few hours ago." My dad remarks.

"What do you need?"

I hesitate, no doubt my dad will ask me questions if I tell him but I'll endure it as long as I get to take the car with me.

"New swimtrunks"

" What? Why what is wrong with the ones you are wearing now?"

I avoid his gaze for a moment, how am I going to explain this to him without embarrassing myself? But before I can even start summing up reasons my dad already seems to understand my dilemma.

"Are you worried **She** won't like them?" he puts extra empathize on the word she. Now my dad may seem clueless at times but that is probably all just an act for I think in this moment he knows exactly why I want different swim gear. My cheeks feel warm as I snap my head up.

" W..what?" I ask dumbly and in disbelieve.

My dad just smiles at me with a knowing expression on his face.

" You know where the keys are." he says before he walks into the house leaving me standing there with my mouth open like a fish trying to get some air on dry land. Now I only hope my dad won't try and give me some advise on certain things or embarrass me.

* * *

After I dress myself I head out on my quest, to find some new long loose swimtrunks. I slowly pull out the drive way and onto the road. I am about to speed up when I'm stopped by someone waving frantically at me. It's my sister I wonder what she wants.

I pull up beside her and roll down my window so I can speak to her.

"Where are you going?" she asks curious. I notice Rachel isn't with her which is kind of strange.

" The mall, where is Rachel?" I ask trying to sound nonchalant.

"She is getting some last minute things from inside." Monica says matter of factly, it's then that I realize that I have actually driven further away from the house as I thought for I am standing in front of the Greene's residence.

"Oh okay well I should get going then."

Monica nods at me, something in her expression has changed.

"Why are you going to the Mall, we've just been there." she asks.

"Gotta get me some new swimtrunks" is all I say. Monica grins at that.

"Good thinking! Forgive me for saying this but those speedo's you wore are yuck! " she says with a wink. I shake my head at her. If she wants she can be nice and pleasant to be around.

"Hey Ross?"

"What?"

She hesitates before shaking her head, she is smiling but it's not a genuine one and it makes me worry.

"Nothing, see you in a few!" she says before she turns to face Rachel who just emerged from the house. I'm confused as I mull over the strange conversation I just had with my sister, something is bothering her. And it has done so ever since this morning when she got so angry at the mall.

When I get back to the house, my dad has already fired up the grill. Even though it's already around 7 pm, the sun is still shining bright and it's still so very warm.

I hurriedly run up the stairs to my room on the second floor. I throw the shopping back on my bed before I start to undress myself. Then I put on my new trunks. They reach to just above my knee and are black with a bright green Hawaiian flower pattern. But the best of all is that they are comfortably loose. I look down on myself, a smile on my face. I decide that I don't need to wear a tshirt to go downstairs now.

As I walk down the first set of stairs I hear a soft noise coming from Monica's room. It sounds as if someone is crying in there. I instantly worry, what of someone got hurt? I listen at the door, the sobs are definitely there. I don't really know what to do.

"She isn't out yet?" comes a worried and familiar voice from behind me as I am about to knock on the door.

I turn around to come face to face with Rachel. She is wearing shorts flipflops and a bikini top. I gulp slightly, what a sight!

I clear my throat, "No she hasn't, what is wrong with her?" I ask. Rachel shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know, she wont tell me." Rachel says clearly dumbfounded by that fact. I'm surprised to hear that too because I know for a fact that those too tell each other everything, I'm sure of it.

I turn back to the door, partly because I want to see if my sister is alright and partly because if I stare a minute longer at the beauty in front of me, my body will betray me again.

"Mon?" I say softly knocking on the door.

There is no answer. Rachel stands next to me also knocking on the door. The smell of her hair makes me dizzy and the slight touch of her arm against mine while she knocks is enough to almost make me so lightheaded that I could faint. I hastily retract my arm from the door.

Suddenly the door opens just slightly, a red faced Monica stares at us, her face is red and puffy from what I can see.

"You okay?" Rachel asks concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine, I'll be down in a bit , Ross can you come in here for a moment?"

I raise my eyebrows in surprise, I did not expect that, Monica never let's me in her room no exceptions.

"I'll wait for you guys in the yard" Rachel says with a smile before she walks away, my eyes follow her, the slight sway of her hips drives me crazy.

"Stop drooling over my best friend!" Monica says with a small smile as she opens the door completely to let me in. what I see next surprises me even more, her room is a complete and utter mess. Clothes are scattered all across the floor and her bed, several books have fallen of their shelf. I never thought in a million years that Monica could be this messy, she is the cleanfreak in the family after all.

"What happened here?" I ask in wonder.

Monica blushes embarrassed as she gathers the fallen books up and puts them back on their respective shelf.

"I got angry."Was all she said.

"About what?" I say as I sit down in her chair.

"About this!" she flings something at me, I barely catch it. It's a bikini.

"Ew gross! Monica don't throw your bathing stuff at me!" I say immediately letting the item drop to the floor wiping my hands off on my trunks. But I don't get a response. Instead I watch her slump down on her bed with silent tears in her eyes. I sit down next to her.

"I know we're not always friendly towards each other and everything but I swear if something is bothering you this much you can talk to me about it." I say , no matter how much we bicker and yell I hate you at each others throats at least every other day, I cant stand seeing my sister cry.

"Isn't it obvious?, how can mom expect me to ever wear that thing while looking like this?" she says pointing towards herself. Something clicks in my head, at this point I could slap my mother for seeming so insensitive towards Monica. Monica who has always been overweight ever since she was small, Monica who has tried to lose weight numerous times without succeeding. Suddenly I feel a bit remorseful for all the insults I've thrown her way whenever we had a row. Truth to be told she has lost quite a bit of wight since then but she is still quite large.

"I'm sorry" I say though not quite knowing why.

"It's not your fault" Monica says with a sob as she dries her tears.

"Forget about that stupid bikini and what mom wants, it's you who decides what to wear. Heck swim in a tomato costume for all I care! Just know that beauty isn't always on the outside" I say trying to assure her.

"Oh so I am ugly on the outside then?" she says with a small chuckle.

"No you know I didn't mean it like that! I meant to say that uhm.........I'm not good at these talks you know" I say embarrassed.

"No you're not but thanks anyway, you actually did make me feel better" Monica gives me a short hug and a genuine smile before a smug grin enters her face.

"You're good at staring at our friend though, don't think I don't see it. What's up with that?"

I splutter and stammer before I scowl at her.

"I swear if you tell her I'll!.." I threaten but she waves her hand at me.

"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret love crush on Rachel a secret............for now"

I blush madly, I didn't know I was so obvious I mean first my dad and now my sister? I have to be more careful around Rachel or she might notice it too. I don't know what I'll do if she ever finds out. I mean I'm just Monica's geeky older brother to her I'm sure.

" Nice new trunks by the way" Monica teases as she pulls me up by the arms.

"Now get out! I need to change in my tomato costume" she jokes. When I am about to close the door she takes a final jab at me.

"I'll be sure to take my time so you can have some private time with your lover!" she says almost cackling madly.

"I hate you" I mutter under my breath, but a smile is on my face.

As I enter the garden again, dad is flipping burgers on the grill and my mom seems to be engrossed in her latest magazine. I turn to my right where the garden chairs are and there she is.

"How's Monica?" She asks instantly when she sees me walking towards her. I sit in the chair opposite of her.

"She's fine, she'll be down in a minute" I reply nervously though I try to hide it.

"Okay that's good, nice swim trunks by the way. New?" She asks with a dazzling smile.

"Yeah just got them, you like them?" I turn suspiciously warm after that sentence, what has come over me? What does she care about my swimming trunks, I could drop down through the floor of embarrassment.

"They're quite nice yeah" she says suddenly.

"Thanks" I say in disbelieve. On the inside I am whooping with joy, yeah that is so unlike me but she brings out the worst in me , it's her fault I swear. To save myself from more harm I stand up and walk away.

"I'm going into the pool"

"I'll join you!' She says following me towards the edge of the pool. I hurriedly jump in and when I surface for air my world freezes and stands still, literally.

I swallow the lump in my throat as I observe Rachel taking of the short white shorts to reveal the small bottoms of her bikini. I feel like a kid who has just found the biggest candy mountain in the whole world, it's a weird metaphor I know but I'll be dammed if it's not true. She slowly slides the shorts down her tanned legs and I follow the motion with my eyes until she steps out of them. I hastily turn my eyes somewhere else, my face is hot again and my body is reacting in a not so subtle way to the sights that just grazed my vision. A loud splash tells me she just jumped in.

No matter how hard I try, I can't tear my eyes away from her as she carefully waddles deeper into the pool. Her hair is wet and clinging to her skin. Small droplets of water cascade down her neck, I follow one carefully with my eyes hoping that she won't notice my staring. She is in the mids of tying up her wet hair with a band because it gets in her way. I admire her beautiful body, she sure is not the little girl that I used to play hide and see or tag with. I gulp as I avert my eyes, I can't have her catching me staring at her in what I am sure is a not so innocent way. I realize she is closing in on me as she makes her way over to me. I'm in the middle of the pool.

I start to panic, what do I do now? I don't want her to get closer to me or else she might notice the sticky situation I put myself in. Even though they're loose, my trunks feel suspiciously tight on me and I don't want to get caught in such a state. She will think I'm some kind of pervert

She is talking to me but I don't understand what she says, I'm mesmerized by her.

She gently touches my arm, now **THAT** got my attention.

"S..sorry what?" I ask backing away from her, she is way too close for comfort right now.

She gives me a weird and calculating look before she answers me.

"I asked, can I have that float mattress?"

"Oh! S..sure, here go ahead!" I answer hastily, my voice cracks and sounds hoarse.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit......flushed" Rachel says as she takes the mattress from me.

"Fine!" I say trying to sound relaxed but it's hard with her still in such close proximity. Then relieve comes in the form of my sister who is wearing her old bathing suit proudly. She jumps in the pool forming a cannonball with her body. I've never been so happy to see my sister as I am now.

"Bombs away!" She yells before she disappears in the water. Rachel turns and swims over to Monica taking the floating mattress with her. When Monica resurfaces they immediately start to talk in hushed tones.

I hurriedly get out of the pool on the other side and wrap a towel around my waist.

As I start to run towards the house , Monica calls me back.

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom!", I yell back before dashing off, my mom and dad look at me with confused expressions on their faces as I run by them, I almost trip over my own feet as I hurriedly try to get to the safety of the house and the bathroom. I lock the door behind me panting heavily as I slide down to the floor leaning my back against the door. I don't care that I am wetting the door and the floor, I'm dripping with water. All that matters right now is that I am save from prying eyes and beautiful girls in red bikini's. I close my eyes seeing Rachel in said red bikini in front of me as I think back towards the mini striptease I got, well it wasn't much a strip show but to me it seemed that way. I hope I'll be able to see her in just a bikini a lot more times from now on.

The ache in my body is almost painful. I stand up and turn the shower on. I undress and step under the comforting warm rays.

I close my eyes letting the warmth envelope me as I try to find some relieve from the sweet torture I endured just a few minutes before.

One thing is for sure, it has never felt more sweet then it does in this very moment.....'

END!


	19. TOW The Kiss act 2

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**17; TOW The Kiss Act 2.**

**A/n; **** And here we are, at the next chapter of LGOL. This one deals yet again with TOW Ross finds out but this is Ross' side in that episode. Just why didn't he get that cat, what made him go to CP and why did he come back after he stormed out after that fight he had with Rachel.? This one will have references to LGOL chapter 3 TOW The Kiss but nothing to confuse you. Also this one is way longer then that chapter was.**

**Enjoy!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

He was sitting in a cab. A cab that was driving slowly through the crowded streets of New York city. Next to him was his girlfriend, talking in excited tones about the cat they were going to get in just a few moments.

But he only listened half heartedly to her for he was too caught up in his own thoughts.

His mind was reeling, in jumbles even.

_'Rachel has feelings for me!' _That was the only coherent thought he could conjure up out of the mess in his head. His heart skipped a beat just thinking back at that strange but almost elevating conversation he had with her just a few moments ago.

He shook his head trying to clear his mind somehow but to no avail He couldn't help but feel extremely happy about what he had discovered on one side, this could be his dream come true, literally. But on the other side he was feeling almost devastated. He was with Julie now, he was having a great time with her and somehow he just didn't know what to do about the situation he was in now.

"We're here honey." Julie said nudging him with her elbow. He followed her out of the cab into the animal shelter.

The shelter was spacious and modern. Ross looked around for animals but he didn't see any.

"Hi, may I help you with something?" The girl behind the reception desk motioned them over.

"Yes, actually, we are looking for a cat to adopt." Julie said. Ross just stood at her side saying nothing.

"Oh that is good news, we have a special cat unit, I'm sure you will find one to your liking. Take the stairs or elevator up to the first floor. You'll be able to see the unit when you arrive there." The girl said with a warm smile.

"Thanks." Ross said softly as he followed Julie who was already pressing the button for the elevator.

"I'm so excited about this!" She said as she took his hand in hers. Ross smiled slightly down at her.

"Me too." He said. But deep down he knew he was lying to her. Suddenly he felt queasy as the elevator stopped and he caught sight of the Cat unit of the shelter.

"This is it!" Julie said as she pushed passed the glass doors to enter the cat unit. They were greeted by an elderly woman.

"Hello, my name is Mary-Ann, how can help you today?"

"We're here to hopefully pick up a new buddy." Julie said with a smile.

"Oh, well you can have a look then. Are you thinking of a kitten or an older cat maybe?" Mary-Ann asked.

"Older!"Ross said suddenly before Julie had a change to say something. She just shot him a questioning look.

"Well you see, that way we don't have to go through the whole process of house training and stuff, and older cat is just easier for us for now." Ross reasoned. Hopefully he could convince her.

"Good point." Julie said before she turned towards Mary-Ann again.

"Have you got any cats that are older then a year or a year and a half?" She asked.

"Yes we do, follow me."

Ross followed them, he wasn't really paying attention to where they were going. The more steps he took in this place, the worse he began to feel. Something just wasn't adding up, something was not right about this whole cat business. He shook his head so he didn't have to listen to the little voice in his head.

_'Rachel has feelings for me!' _That one little statement was becoming like a mantra, repeating itself over and over again and every time his heart skipped a beat.

They entered a room with various cages alongside the walls. Almost every cage was occupied by different cats. Ross swallowed the lump in his throat. Just standing here in the midst of all the animals made him feel uncomfortable.

"Oh they're so sweet!" Julie almost squealed out as she passed various cages. She motioned for Ross to come over.

"Ross look, this one's cute don't you think?" She asked.

Ross stayed a few steps away from her as he observed the cat she was referring to. His throat constricted somehow and it almost seemed as if the walls of the room were advancing on him.

"Y..Yeah that one's cute and this one is cute, they're all cute, they're cats! So let's just wrap one up and get the hell out of here!" He said frantic.

Julie looked at him, "You okay?" She asked with a half amused smile.

"Me? Sure yeah.....yeah." Ross said with a frown unnoticed by her because she had her back to him.

"Ross, honey." Julie said as she turned towards him.

"Hey, I know this is a big step for us but I got a feeling that we're going to be okay!" She said trying to reassure him.

Ross looked down for a moment before he wrapped an arm around her.

"Yeah I know, I know." He said He turned towards Mary-Ann.

"So do you have any cats that are terribly old or incredible sick?" He asked seriously.

Mary-Ann just looked at him with a confused expression. Julie on the other hand turned towards him.

"Ross, I don't want one that is about to die!" She said.

"Oh well you see, we should have worked that out before we came down here." Ross countered with a slight nervous chuckle.

Julie sighed, "Okay sweety, I'm going to narrow it down to this one over here and that one over there." she said pointing at two different cages.

"You pick."

"Whoa hey! I have to pick?." Ross said.

"Yeah whichever one you want."

Ross panicked, now the ball was in his court and he didn't like it. He was confused, scared even to just think about the consequences that his choice would have for him, for Julie. He nervously looked from one cage to the other.

"I..I don't know! It's not that easy to choose you know? I mean both cats are...are beautiful and ehm..funny and..." he trailed of letting out a sigh.

Julie observed him for a moment. Something was really off about him today but she blamed it on the nerves, after all they were taking a big step forward in their relationship by agreeing to take care of something that would bind them together even more then they already were.

"You know, I'm sure I'd be happy with either cat , I just.."

"Well, you want to take both?" Julie asked.

"Both?! Both?" Ross almost yelled out in panic.

"I can't have two cats! I mean Joey is the kind of guy that can have two cats!" He said more two himself then to her. He grimaced inwardly at the strange metaphor he just created in his head. Was he going crazy? Thinking of Rachel and Julie as the cats he had to pick between.

"Honey, calm down. Clearly you're not ready to do this now, we can come back later this week . Shall we just go home?" Julie said

"Yes, let's get out of here." Ross said softly. They said goodbye to Mary-Ann as the left the cat unit empty handed.

Underway to Julie's apartment, they didn't speak. Both were mulling things over in their head.

"Look Ross, I'm sorry to make you go through that. I didn't know you weren't ready for this. You should have told me." Julie said suddenly.

Ross looked at her worried face. Suddenly he felt guilty.

"It's okay, I'm sorry too for my weird behavior, I guess I'm just............I don't know" He said.

"Well it doesn't matter now, we'll go back when you are ready for it, just let me know." Julie said as the cab pulled up in front of her door.

"You coming in with me?" She asked.

Ross shook his head.

"No, I think I'm just going to head home." Ross said. He kissed her goodnight.

"Al right, I'll see you tomorrow okay?" She said before she turned and walked away from him.

"Sure." Ross said softly to himself as he sat back against the backseat of the cab. He silently watched the scenery fly by. It was already getting dark.

"Can you stop here please?" Ross said suddenly. The cabdriver pulled over. Ross paid the fare and stepped into the crisp evening air. There was a slight chilly wind blowing but he didn't care for that as he slowly walked along the small path that led into Central Park.

Street lanterns were lit as soon it was completely dark. Ross was sitting on a bench deep in thoughts. He observed a small bird that was hopping on the grass.

"Yeah you have it easy." He said almost envious. He laughed mockingly at himself.

"Look at me,jealous of a bird that has no other care in the world then getting food, that does not have to choose between which............cat it should go to." Ross whispered almost angered at himself .

He stood up and decided to just go home and forget about today. He exited the park only to come face to face with the almost darkened windows of Central Perk. There was only one more lamp lit. A look at his watch told him it was closing time.

He bit his lip, somehow, some way he just had to see her. Had to talk to her.

He was about to open the door to the coffee house when the last costumer just came out. Ross let him pass before he stepped inside.

There she was, she was standing with her back to him wiping the counter.

Suddenly he felt anger rise up inside of him just by looking at her. She was the reason he was in this mess in the first place, if she'd only kept her feelings to herself, he would've been fine.

Ross knew he was being unfair but somehow he just didn't care about that fact. It seemed as he had been blinded for the moment.

Rachel was done wiping the counter and turned around. Ross saw she was visible shocked by his appearance.

"Hi." she said very softly.

Ross just stared at her for a moment.

"I didn't get a cat." He said almost harshly.

"Oh..uhm that's interesting" Rachel said.

"No! No it's not interesting okay? It's actually a hundred percent exactly the opposite of interesting." Ross said.

Rachel interfered his speech frowning slightly, "Alright I got it Ross!"

"You had no right to tell me you ever had feelings for me!" Ross blurted out.

"What?!" Rachel countered incredulously.

"I was doing great with Julie before I found out about you!" Ross practically yelled out.

"Hey I was doing great before I found about you! You think it's easy for me to see you with Julie?!" Rachel yelled back.

"Then you should have said something before I met her." Ross countered again, taking a step towards her.

"I didn't know then!" Rachel said in disbelieve. She pointed her finger at him.

"And how come you never said anything to me?!"

"There was never a good time!" Ross said, just now saying that made him realize that it actually was the truth.

"Right!" Rachel almost mocked him, "You only had a year and we only hung out every night." She finished sarcastically.

Ross' heart skipped a beat, there was a truth in that sentence as well. He shook his head slightly.

"N..not every night!" he countered almost weakly. He saw Rachel starting to protest but he cut her off.

"And it's not like I didn't try Rachel, but thing kept getting in the way like, Italian guys or... or ex fiancé's or.....Italian guys!" He finished lamely. Somehow he couldn't come up with more reasons.

"Hey! There was only one Italian guy! And do you even have a point?!" Rachel said, Ross could see she was getting frustrated, angered even with him.

"The point is", Ross started pointing at her, "I don't need this right now! Okay, it's too late! I'm with somebody else, I'm happy. This ship has sailed!" He said firmly, more to himself then to her if he had to be totally honest. He noticed the slight change in her expression she almost looked hurt by his words and it made him feel uneasy to know that he caused her to feel that way.

"Okay what do you say, you just put away feelings or whatever the hell it was that you felt for me?" Rachel said trying to keep her face straight, but inside she felt like crying.

"Hey, Ive been doing it since the ninth grade, I've gotten pretty damn good at it!" Ross said.

"Alright fine, you go ahead and do that alright Ross?!"

"Fine!" Ross said turning away from her and walking towards the door.

"I don't need your stupid ship!" Rachel yelled angry.

"Good!" Ross said as he walked out of the door. He briskly walked to the other side of the road.

"And you know what? Now I've got closure!" He heard Rachel yell from the door opening of Central Perk.

He angrily kicked a soda can that was on the sidewalk in front of him. The fact that it had to started to rain was not improving his foul mood in the least. He stopped and just leaned his forehead against the wall of the bookstore opposite Central Perk as he slammed his fist into it angrily.

He was upset, it wasn't exactly anger that he felt, he just felt confused and hurt in some strange way.

And guilty, so very guilty. That fight between them had really stirred something inside of him. He couldn't get the hurt almost upset look that Rachel shot him out of his mind. This was so not how he wanted things to turn out between them.

"Dammit!" he cursed softly as he walked back to Central Perk. He had to fix this somehow.

He stopped at the door and peered through the glass of the door windows. The sight that greeted him made his heart wrench. Rachel was sitting on the couch and from the way she was slouched forward, Ross was almost certain that she was crying.

He would give anything to be in there with her at that very moment, to apologize and comfort her. To tell her everything would be alright but he hesitated as his hand rose up slightly to knock on the glass.

What would she do when she saw him? Would she even let him in?

Much time to think on that was something he didn't have for she stood up and turned. He saw her startle as she noticed him at the door. Her eyes were wet, now he was sure she had been crying. He could do nothing else then just stare at her as she made her way over to him. His heart skipped a beat when she looked up at him through the glass.

He observed her undoing the locks on the inside of the door. She would let him in. Somehow that piece of knowledge made him feel incredible happy on the inside. He saw her struggle with the doors that just didn't want to budge.

"Try the bottom one." He said knowing that she would hear him. She looked at him for a fleeting second before she undid the bottom lock.

Slowly but surely, she opened the doors widely.

They both stared at each other for the longest time. Ross swallowed softly as he locked his eyes on hers.

Then without further hesitation or without thinking his actions over, he took the one step towards her that would change everything between them.

He bend down and kissed her.

The moment their lips met, Ross' world stood still. He had been imagining this moment over and over ever since ninth great and yet he could've never dreamed that it would feel this good.

It felt right.

He rested his hands on her waist as he felt her respond to him, his fingers flexed almost nervously against the fabric of her shirt. He felt her warm hands on his face, it almost made him shiver in delight.

The need for air made him slowly but surely break away from the kiss. He stared at the woman in front of him, her eyes were half open as she let out a soft sigh.

He thought to himself she had never looked so beautiful as right in that moment. She bit her lip.

He stared down on her, he didn't know what to say but frankly he didn't even want to speak now, this moment was too precious to ruin it with conversation so he did the first thing that came to mind.

He softly kissed her again with equal passion.

This time, he felt her wrap her arms around his neck as she pressed her body up against him. He encircled her waist with his arms as he felt her tilt her head

He deepened the kiss, the moment he felt her reaction to it, he lost himself into her. He heard her moan softly, it thrilled him beyond believe that it was him who had made her emit such a lovely sound.

He slid his hands up from her sides to undo the clasp in her hair so he could tangle his fingers in the smooth locks. It felt so incredible. He felt her take a tight hold of the front of his coat.

He stole a few slow and soft nips from her before he broke the kiss and just took her in his arms hugging her as close as he could. He felt her bury her face into his chest.

"Wow." he said almost overwhelmed and out of breath.

She smiled up at him at that. Ross returned her smile with one of his own. They stared up at each other for what seemed like hours but was only just minutes.

The rain was chilling him since it still rained into the coffeehouse where they stood because of the open door. He felt Rachel untangle herself from his arms.

Ross cleared his throat, raking his brain for something to say.

"Uhm, I better let you close off." He said blushing slightly as he looked down at his feet for a moment. Suddenly he couldn't help but feel incredible shy. The thought of that was so absurd that he almost chuckled at it.

"Right." Rachel said also blushing.

"I should go.." Ross trailed off. Rachel nodded at him.

"Y..yeah."

Ross turned away from her before he turned back to face her one more time.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he said with s smile.

Rachel returned his smile as she answered him.

"Definitely."

Ross turned and walked through the open door into the rain. He buttoned up his coat as he waited for a cab that could take him to his house.

When he arrived home, he quickly changed into sweatpants and a sweater. He plopped down on his bed, laying back against the pillows just gazing ahead of him.

_'I kissed Rachel Greene!_' Was the only thought that was playing in his head now accompanied by an almost goofy smile on his face.

As he turned towards his bedside table to turn of the lamp, the smile faded.

There was a bottle of Saline solution that belonged to the woman he was currently dating. Suddenly he felt as if someone had just dropped a bag of heavy stones in his stomach.

He had just gotten himself in a very complicated situation and he had yet to figure out how he would manage to come out of it....

END.


	20. Dreaming of You

**Little glimpses of Love**

**18; Dreaming of You.**

**A/N: **** Welcome to the next installment of LGOL. Happy to see that you still like this piece of writing. **

**This chapter deals with the episode TOW The Ick factor. Also Ross might seem out of character to some of you but hehe it's Rachel dreaming of him so blame her!**

**Here is the warning beforehand. **

**This chapter deals with situations of sexual matter and is therefor R-Rated. Again, if you are underage or offended by such material, do not read this! I will not be held responsible for your actions.**

**I'm torn in between hating this chapter or loving it, I'll let you be the judge.**

**Now without further ado, Enjoy!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

They were watching TV. Rachel was lying down on the couch, her feet were in Ross' lap. Ross was seated back against the couch cushions. Neither were talking, both engrossed in the program that was playing.

Or at least it seemed that way. In reality, Ross was feeling slightly on edge, nervous even and he didn't quite understand why he felt that way. It could very well be the fact that he was alone with Rachel, the woman he was madly in love with. But even more because of the body contact they had right now. Granted it wasn't that big of a deal really but just feeling the slight pressure of her legs and feet on top of his legs was driving him almost nuts.

He cleared his throat softly as he stretched out his arms across the back of the couch. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. It seemed that she had fallen asleep, her eyes were closed.

But he was wrong for Rachel wasn't quite asleep, yet. She was dozing off though but she struggled to keep her eyes open. She should just get up and go to her room but she was way too comfortable to get up now. Letting out a soft yawn like sigh she rubbed her eyes briefly before she concentrated on the screen again.

There were commercials playing at the moment. She figured she could close her eyes for a moment since those were boring and irritating anyway.

When she opened her eyes again, the TV was shut off and she was alone in the almost darkened apartment. She shivered , she was cold from lying on the couch without a cover. She sat up disorientated for a moment.

She figured that Ross must've left quite a while ago already. As she stood up she stretched out lazily. Deciding that she would have a sip of water before getting ready for bed, she walked towards the kitchen sing to fill up a small glass.

As she reached for the light knob and flicked it, the lights didn't come on. She flicked it again. Frowning at the ceiling she took a hold of the switch and flipped it up and down several times to no avail.

"What's wrong with that lamp?" She muttered softly to herself as she walked towards the door to switch the main switch so the lights above the seating area would come on. Luckily for her they did work.

She was about to place her empty glass in the sink when the lights switched off suddenly. She jumped barely concealing a small yelp as she clamped a hand over her mouth.

She scolded herself for reacting in such a way. She slowly made her way over to the sofa.

And that is when she heard it. The sound was faint, almost non existent and yet it sounded like someone had dropped a bomb disrupting the silence around her violently. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She had the unpleasant sensation that she was not alone any longer.

Gulping heavily she didn't dare to stay where she was. She hurriedly made her way over to Monica's room. She didn't even knock as she stepped in.

"Monica wake up!" She whispered frantically. But she didn't get a response. She squinted her eyes and discovered that the bed was empty.

She frowned confused, what was going on here? She turned back towards the door to enter the living room again. It was still dark yet it seemed different somehow.

Something strange was going on. She looked around taking in her surroundings as good as she could. The only light that illuminated the dark room was the moonlight shining in from the windows.

Suddenly she heard the sound of soft footsteps. She listened to determine where the sound came from. She traced it back to just outside the door. The footsteps haltered right in front of it.

She stood still, stiff as a board. Her heart was racing in her chest. When nothing happened for the longest time, she relaxed just for a little bit. She was being silly, it had probably been one of the neighbors.

"I wonder where Monica went off too." She said softly to herself as she took some candles from the kitchen cabinets. Luckily her roommate was so organized, it sure made it easier to find stuff. She placed a candle on the kitchen counter and another on the coffee table.

Just as she was about to turn around, she heard it. It was soft but it sounded as if someone was calling her name.

Somehow that soft hoarse voice sounded really familiar and yet she didn't dare to turn around.

"What are you afraid of? Turn around." She jumped at how close and clear the voice sounded all of a sudden and it sounded a lot like Ross.

"You know you want to." She felt a soft gush of wind pass her.

"Rach.."

A shiver ran through her body when she turned to face the doorway. She'd heard it right, it was Ross calling for her. The way her name had rolled of his tongue made her weak in the knees.

"You're trembling, did I scare you?" He suddenly whispered into her ear.

She startled, how had he gone from the doorway to standing behind her so fast?

"I didn't mean too, I'm merely here because you want me to be here." He said.

Rachel closed her eyes briefly when his fingers laced through hers for a moment, he was still standing behind her breathing softly into her neck as he buried his nose in her hair.

"Well?" she felt him stroke her upper arms slowly as he planted a wet kiss in the crook of her neck.

"What are you waiting for? I'm all yours, this is your fantasy. What do you want me to do?"

Rachel was having trouble making coherent thoughts with his hot mouth sucking on the sensitive spots in her neck. How he knew about those was a mystery to her. His arms snaked their way around her waist where they rested on her stomach. He kissed his way up to her ear so that he could lick the back of it in a slow pace.

Rachel felt her heart beating in her throat at his touches. Although she knew that this was probably not a good idea and although she knew that it was most likely a dream she was having again, she couldn't help but want more from him right in this moment.

Part of her just didn't want to believe it was one of those dreams again because this one seemed more realistic then the other's she'd had. It seemed so real. And she figured in her head that she probably had to stop it before things would get out of hand but she just didn't want to.

"I'm waiting." Ross said with a slight chuckle. He starting rubbing her stomach in slow circles through the fabric of her clothes while he slowly but certainly walked backwards one step at a time. Rachel could do nothing but just follow his lead.

His legs hit the back of the couch, he bent his knees so he could sit down on top of it. He squeezed her small frame into him giving her a full body hug from behind.

"Tell me what you want." He demanded soft but firm as his hands trailed downwards to grab a hold of her hips. With one swift motion, he turned her around so she faced him.

She stared into his brown eyes for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't say a thing, just stared back. It made her feel just a little awkward. A slight blush colored her cheeks light pink. She averted her eyes for a moment.

"I didn't think you could be this shy." Ross whispered. He wiped some of her bangs out of her face. Rachel's hands were on his shoulders, fingers flexing every so often against the fabric of his t-shirt.

Ross smiled at her.

"I could tell you what I can do to you, but I'd rather hear it from you." He whispered seductive as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. He took her face in his hands as he kissed the tip of her nose. His mouth lingered over hers, their breathes intermingled. But he didn't go further.

Rachel held her breath for a moment, her hands gripped the fabric of his t-shirt firmly. She knew what she wanted.

"Kiss me." She breathed.

"Your wish is my command." Ross said. Rachel felt her heart beat so fast in anticipation that she wouldn't be surprised if it just jumped out of her chest right here and now.

Ross traced the outline of her mouth with his thumb before he leaned in. He kissed the corners of her mouth first before he softly touched his lips to hers in a chaste lingering kiss. The contact was fleeting and almost nonexistent.

Rachel felt him wrap an arm around her waist while the other curled around the back of her neck pulling her head down gently to meet him in another kiss.

This time he pressed his lips against hers more firmly. Rachel returned the kiss with equal pressure. She felt him smile against her mouth as he slowly started to roam his lips over hers, catching her bottom lip between his several times so he could suck on it.

Rachel felt her knees go weak again as she sunk into the kiss moving her mouth almost in sync with his. Her hands let go of his t-shirt so that her arms could wrap themselves around his broad shoulders as she pressed her body into him. She was standing in between his legs, her body flush up against him.

She felt him envelope her in a big hug, she sighed into the kiss. She didn't think she'd ever felt this good about kissing someone.

He slowly but surely broke away from her. She had to catch her breath for a few seconds but she kept her eyes closed. Ross smiled at that, he latched his mouth to the skin of her neck sucking on it firmly leaving a small mark.

"I shouldn't be doing this with you." She whispered softly as she arched her neck for him.

"Why not?" Ross replied, he slowly turned her around again so she was with her back against his chest . He immediately latched his mouth to the crook of her neck, sucking and nipping at her soft skin.

"Doesn't it feel good?" He whispered seductively. He tilted her head back so he could place a passionate kiss on her mouth.

Rachel sighed into the kiss, all coherent thoughts flew out of the window with that simple gesture.

"What do you want?" Ross said against her mouth, his hands had trailed up to rest just below her chest. He sneaked them in to the front of her overalls without unlatching the hooks that kept them up, it was a tight fit but he didn't mind that all. He caressed her sides working his way up and yet he never went further then just below her chest.

Rachel whispered something to him but he couldn't quite understand what she was saying. He stilled his caressing hands for a moment.

"What did you say, I didn't hear you." He teased.

"Don't stop there." Rachel repeated.

"Where?" He asked knowingly.

"Here?" he gave her sides a squeeze before he trailed his hands up to her midriff again.

"Tell me what to do Rach." He whispered hoarsely.

Rachel swallowed thickly. The way he was talking to her and the way he almost commanded her to tell him what to do next gave her a strange sense of control and yet she knew she was completely and utterly at his mercy. She felt his fingers flex on her midriff, she ached for those hands to explore her body some more.

She blushed at that thought. She felt the warmth of his breath in her ear as he whispered sweet nothings to her.

"Tell me and I will do whatever you want." He said.

"Touch me." Rachel whispered, her voice cracked slightly. She felt him smile into her hair as he kissed the side of her head. Without any hesitation, he let his hands roam up slowly so he could cup her breasts through her shirt. His skilled fingers started kneading her sensitive flesh.

Rachel couldn't help the soft sounds that escaped her throat at his ministrations as she leaned back against him. He smiled at her reactions. It seemed that he was doing a good job already. Her soft pleasured sighs were like music to his ears. He almost couldn't wait to see just what other sounds he could provoke from her mouth.

Suddenly she found herself lying under him on the couch half naked. He was already naked and she couldn't keep her eyes off of him but she was confused, how did this happen? Much time to dwell on that thought was something she didn't have for she felt Ross' skilled mouth and tongue on her chest. She arched her body up as she tangled her fingers into the short locks of his hair. It felt surprisingly smooth to the touch.

"You're beautiful." He said smoothly as he leaned over her to lock his eyes on hers. Rachel's arms fell to her sides as she almost drowned in his enticing gaze.

"Tell me what to do now." He whispered into her ear as his hands roamed all over the exposed skin of her upper body slowly but surely trailing further down in the progress.

He skimmed his fingers over her panties teasingly. Rachel bucked her hips involuntarily at the slight contact.

Ross just chuckled at her reaction as he slowly started to stroke her inner thighs, tickling her with the tip of his fingers.

"Stop teasing." Rachel whispered intense.

"Whatever you want." Ross replied. He grinned mischievous as he hooked his thumbs through the sides of her underwear, In one fluid motion he took them off making her blush furiously in spite of herself.

She bit her lip trying to fight of the blush to no avail.

"Why are you embarrassed? You're gorgeous." Ross said softly as he looked her over several times before he planted a kiss on her half opened mouth. She closed her eyes as she sunk into the kiss. She felt him squeezing her thighs for a fleeting moment.

Then she almost yelped out when she felt him touch her in a most exquisite way. She gasped into the kiss. She arched her hips up into him as she broke the kiss to suck in some much needed air.

She closed her eyes in pleasure as she held on to him for dear life, her nails dug into the flesh of his shoulders but he didn't mind. He was mesmerized by the sounds she was making and the way her body writhed under him. He was enjoying himself immensely. He fastened his pace on her. She was moaning incoherently. He could feel that she was close to the point of no return.

He grinned almost in an evil way as he stopped his movements on her completely. Rachel whimpered in protest as she kept arching her body into him.

"Tell me to go on if you want it so badly." He said seductively as he kissed her stomach, nipping and biting softly on her sensitive skin. She didn't say a word.

"Say it." He whispered intense. He was holding her close to his warm naked body. She could feel the heat of his skin on hers. She was panting, her eyes were half closed.

"I won't go further unless you tell me too." He teased. He slowly stroked her outer thigh emitting goosebumps wherever his strong hands would touch her. She struggled to say something coherent but just couldn't find the strength to say the words she needed to convey to him.

He was now kissing her inner thighs, placing wet open mouthes kisses all over her skin. Rachel shivered. She was aching so much it was becoming unbearable and yet she just couldn't tell him what she so desperately needed from him.

"I'm still waiting." He whispered into her ear as he leaned over her again. She couldn't help but whimper softly at that.

She struggled with the words as she opened her mouth to speak. Ross waited in anticipation.

"Please." She whispered.

"Please what?" He whispered back as he slowly placed his hand upon her again but didn't move an inch.

Rachel bit her lip as she looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Please, don't stop." She managed to blurt out when she felt him giving her a teasingly light stroke.

"That's all I needed babe." Ross said as he picked up the pace again. He latched his mouth onto one of her nipples, sucking and licking teasingly while never stopping his gentle provoking strokes on her. Rachel was clutching the fabric of the sofa they were lying on tightly unable to stop the sounds that escaped her mouth. Her breathing was irregular while her heart was beating almost impossibly fast in her chest.

Ross bit his lip, even though he was the one in charge, he slowly felt that she was taking over, weakening him with every sound she made or every movement of her body under him. He didn't know if he could hold off any longer, he was aching.

He stopped his movements on her a second time. Instead he just laid down on top of her leaning on his elbows.

"God you're killing me do you know that?" He said hoarsely. Rachel lifted her brows at that, how could she be killing him while he was the one that was torturing her by stopping his wonderful touches on her again.

Ross looked at her facial expression and couldn't help but grin.

"I'm sorry" He kissed her cheek.

"But you're driving me crazy with want. I want you so badly right now, please let me have you." He whispered against her mouth as he kissed her slowly and thoroughly.

Rachel moaned into the kiss, just hearing him ask her such an intimate question send shivers up and down her spine. She shuddered in spite of herself. She hungrily kissed him back wrapping her arms around him. When she broke the kiss she pulled his head down so she could whisper one little word into his ear.

"Yes."

Ross almost moaned at that soft hoarse reply. He squeezed her into him for a moment before he slowly inched his way into her.

Rachel's eyes flew open at the sudden but very pleasant intrusion. She bit her lip in pleasure when he started to move in a slow paced rhythm. The way he just fitted inside of her body amazed her to no ends, it was as if he completed her. She almost had to chuckle at that thought, it seemed so corny. She didn't have much time to dwell on it though for he had quickened his pace. She could feel the tension building inside of her again, she was so desperate for release. His teasing had been downright torture. She let out a loud gasp when she felt his mouth in her neck, nipping and sucking. It was almost too much to take. She involuntarily wrapped her legs around his waist moaning and shivering at the new sensations it brought to her.

There it was, that moment where you just don't remember what's right or wrong anymore. Where the world starts spinning endlessly and you are drowning into endless swirls of colors that surround you. It was exactly how she felt in this moment. This tender and sweet moment that seemed to get more and more heated with each passing second.

"Hmmnh" She breathed.

Never had she thought she'd experience something like this so intensely

"I love the sounds you make." Came his soft sultry voice close to her ear sending shivers through her already trembling body.

She watched him with half lidded eyes, anticipation filled her whole being when he dipped his head, "You're so addictive." He whispered against her lips before he sealed his mouth over hers in a deep passionate kiss.

She responded to his passion enthusiastically before breaking the kiss to moan out loud. She was slowly but surely standing on the edge of something great ready to take the plunge into the unknown.

"Oh Ross!" She moaned.

Suddenly she felt as if the wind was knocked out of her as it seemed that he had collapsed on top of her rather violently.

Rachel opened her eyes only to be greeted by a fully lit apartment and a fully clothed Ross on the edge of the couch next to her. She noticed that she herself was clothed fully as well. She was utterly confused.

"Ross?" She whispered incredulously. She started to sit up leaning on her elbows.

"I'm here." Ross said softly as he observed her confused and sleepy expression, he thought to himself that she hadn't looked more beautiful then right in this moment.

"Uhm, we were...I.." She stammered blushing slightly as realization kicked in, it had all been a dream, a very vivid one at that. She felt embarrassment starting to kick in as she stared up in the questioning face of Ross.

Suddenly they both startled by a loud beeping emitting from Ross' belt where he had attached the beeper he kept in case Carol was going to go in labor.

Ross looked down at the beeper to see the number.

" Oh great now I am having a baby!", he said throwing his hands up before he locked eyes with Rachel again.

" What?!" Rachel said wide awake all of a sudden.

" I'm having a baby, oh my God I'm having a baby!" Ross said jumping up looking frantically for the phone. He leaped over the couch only to land in a heap on the floor.

"Are you alright?' Rachel asked concerned.

"I'm hurt." Ross replied before he stood up again.

Rachel watched him flip out some more with a small smile on her face. She couldn't believe she'd had a dream about all three of the guys but if she had to be honest, she'd liked the dream involving Ross the best. Somehow it made her long for something more.

END!!!_**  
**_


	21. Feels Like Home

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**19; Feels Like Home.**

**A/N:**** And here is the 19th chapter in this series. I can't believe I've written this many chapters for a fiction including the two specials its 21 chapters in total. That is more then I ever wrote in a fic.  
I'm so happy!**

**Okay the notes for this chapter; This one deals with the episode The Last One. It will take us from Ross at the airport to Rachel getting of the plane to the end of the series which I have modified to be in CP instead of the apartment. This chapter will have some references to sexual situations but it is not graphic. Therefor there won't be an R rating on this but and OT one, meaning this is suitable for Older Teen (15+) and up.  
Also I included that guy with glasses, you know the one that freaks out when Rachel tells him about the phone call from Phoebe? I named him Stephen! Thanks to Crissy for helping me choose a name!**

**Now without further ado!  
Enjoy.**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

To say that he was devastated, was the understatement of the year as he clung onto Phoebe, letting his tears run freely. Soft sobs wrecked his trembling body.

Phoebe just held him tightly, rubbing soothing circles with her hands on his back. Her eyes were tearing up as well.

"I really thought she'd stay" Ross said softly.

"I know" Phoebe countered as she squeezed him into her for a moment. She couldn't believe that Rachel had decided to go after all, not after that heartbreaking speech Ross had given her. She had heard every word of it and was certain it would convince Rachel to stay. Because they were her Lobsters, soul-mates even, they were destined for each other. She had always been a firm believer of that.

But now, things were changed drastically, dreams were shattered and hearts were broken.

"I just want to get out of here." Ross said suddenly as he let go of Phoebe. He wiped at his tearful eyes as he turned to take a last look at the now closed gate door. The plane would be leaving soon and with it, it would take away the love of his life, the very reason for his existence.

He didn't know how he could go on without her she was such a big part of his life. Granted they hadn't been together for a long time but he had always been able to see her, talk to her and just be around her.

Now all of that was gone, she wouldn't be close by anymore. She would literally be on the other side of the Ocean. On a whole different continent even. Maybe Joey had been right, maybe just maybe he could start to get over her now. God knows he's been trying to do so for a long time but part of him already knew it was impossible.

He loved her too much to get over her, she had taken his heart once and now it could never belong to someone else.

Phoebe watched him silently as he slowly walked out of the waiting area towards the exit. She followed him into the great hall of Newark airport not saying a word. Really what could be said? The situation was so painful right now, she figured he didn't need any words now, just her being there would be enough.

They walked outside, it was raining softly.

Ross almost chuckled bitterly as he looked up, it was as if the heavens were crying with him. He closed his eyes for a moment as he let the raindrops fall on his face. Suddenly he just felt really exhausted as he took a seat next to Phoebe in her cab. Leaning his head against the cold glass of the cold car-window, he just watched the scenery fly by. Phoebe drove at a normal speed this time.

"Where do you want to go?"

Ross sat up and looked at her for a moment. She kept her eyes firmly on the road, she couldn't bare to see the broken expression on his face.

"I just want to go home." Ross said softly. He let out a sigh.

"I just want to be alone for a little while, just by myself to get things back in perspective. Right now everything is so messed up. It hurts." He ended in a whisper.

"I understand." Was all she said.

"I'll make sure that the others won't be bothering you tonight."

Ross gave her a weak smile as he briefly laid his hand over hers on the wheel.

"Thank you, you're great." He said.

"I know." Phoebe said attempting to joke a little to lift his spirits. It worked.

Ross shook his head at her before he stared back out of the window, totally unaware that back at the airport, someone was struggling to get back to him...

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

He observed her from his seat next to her. He had seen the stranger that had pulled her aside. He hadn't heard the words that were exchanged but he could see from both their facial expressions that it had been a serious talk.

"But you don't understand! I have to get off this plane!" She almost yelled out desperate.

He watched as her cellphone fell down on the floor. He hurriedly grabbed it before she could stand upon it. His finger accidentally hit the no call button as he held it. She had been calling and leaving a rather curious message to someone, he had listened intently to every word. Of course he knew eaves dropping wasn't very polite but she had been talking loud enough for the whole flight cabin to hear her.

The message she had been leaving was strange to say the least. He was almost certain it had been to that guy that chased her down at the gate. She had been saying all those things and saying over and over that she loved the person whoever that may be. But it seemed that realization had dawned upon her as she was speaking and that landed him in his current situation, curiously listening on as she argued with the stewardess.

"Please, just let me off."She said softly,almost defeated. But the stewardess would have nothing of it.

He watched her take a seat dejectedly and with tears in her eyes. He grabbed a paper towel from his pocket and gave it to her.

"Here." He said gently. She took it, wiping at her eyes with it.

"You dropped this." He said giving her her cell back. She gratefully took it from him.

"Thanks." Rachel said towards the stranger that was sitting next to her. She recognized him from before where he had panicked when he was told that there were no phalanges on the plane.

"I'm Stephen." He introduced himself. Rachel shook hands with him. She wasn't really paying attention to him and he knew it.

"Why do you want to get off this plane so badly?" He asked.

Rachel just gave him a look before replying.

"There is this guy, he just told me he loved me before I boarded the plane and God knows I love him too, so much. But I was too afraid, too stubborn to tell him and now it's too late!" She answered with a sob.

Suddenly the intercom was cracking before the voice of the pilot could be heard.

"Excuse us for the delay Ladies and Gentleman, we assure you everything is taken care of, we are waiting on two late passengers who are boarding the plane right in this moment."

Stephen looked around him, other people were staring with sympathy in their eyes for his neighbor passenger. Suddenly he had an idea.

He stood up.

"Hey if we are waiting for those late passengers to board, why can't she get off then?" He asked loudly. Rachel looked up at him in disbelieve What was he doing?

"Sir please sit down! We've already settled this!" A steward said with a heavy sigh.

"Well I wont have it! The gate is still open for the others so she can get off easily, I'll say let her off! Can't you see you're holding her back from being with the one that she loves? You might take away her only change at happiness with this guy!" Stephen said.

Rachel felt her eyes tear up, here was a total stranger standing up for her. She startled when more people started to stand.

"Yes, let her off the plane!" They said.

"I saw him chasing you down honey, you need to go back and tell him you love him too!" An elderly woman suddenly said standing beside her. She outstretched her hand towards Rachel who took it.

"Please, let me off the plane!"she pleaded again with the cabin crew as she stood up also.

"Let her off! Let her off!" People were starting to chant this over and over again while clapping their hands. Rachel just looked around in amazement at all those strangers that were pleading her case. The steward looked at his supervisor, clearly intimidated by all those people yelling and chanting. In all his career he had never seen something like this, ever.

The supervisor walked to the front of the plane to explain the situation to the pilot. People from business class and first class came to see what was going on. Rachel was just staring at the people all around her totally overwhelmed and with tears in her eyes as she crossed her fingers over her heart hoping that somehow this would help her get off the plane. She wouldn't know what to do if she had to stay and take off to Paris.

"Miss, grab your bags, you have permission to leave the aircraft." The supervisor said when he returned to the economy class cabin. People broke out in cheers and applause.

"Go get him!" Stephen said shaking her hand for a moment.

"Thank you!" Rachel said stunned at this sudden turn of events. She hurriedly grabbed her bags and followed the supervisor to the front of the plane. She waved at the kind people that had been on her side one more time before she stepped into the boarding hall that connected the plane and the waiting area at the airport.

When she stepped foot into said waiting area, she almost collapsed with happiness. She had just been given another change and she would not blow it!

She hurriedly filled out the necessary forms so that her suitcases would be sent back from Paris the minute they arrived since they couldn't open the plane cargo just to find her luggage.

She grabbed the small suitcase that she had carried on board with her as well as her purse and made her way through the main hall of the airport. When she stood outside, she looked up at the dark clouded sky. It was raining softly. She made her way over to the taxi stand and grabbed the first available cab there was.

"Good evening Miss, where too?"  
Rachel didn't have to think twice about that, she told the driver the address she wanted to go.

"Wait for me Ross, I'm on my way." She whispered softly as she stared out of the window. She hoped that he had gotten her message somehow.

When she arrived at his building, she paid the taxi fare and hastily stepped inside. The rain had stopped but it was still cold and she didn't have her jacket on her, that was in the small suitcase.

She decided to take the elevator up to his floor. As she stood in the small square cabin she tucked her hair behind her ears. For some reason or another her heart was doing back-flips in her chest and her stomach seemed to be turning with nerves. Even her hands felt clammy. A little ping sounded, indicating that she had reached the correct floor.

She waked along the hallway until she reached his door, standing in front of it she could hear the faint noise of him yelling at something, probably his answering machine. She let out a chuckle at that before she sighed nervously.

She'd done it, she had managed to get off the plane to go back to the man she loved, the one she had always loved and probably never would stop loving.

But as she stood here, in front of his door she was almost too afraid to go in. She knew she really had nothing to fear, she knew that Ross would only be happy to see her.

Thinking back at the confession he made to her at the boarding gate almost brought tears to her eyes, she couldn't comprehend just how big her mistake would've been if she had just flown to Paris.

She set her bags aside against the wall next to his door. Swallowing the lump in her throat she made up her mind. With a determined expression on her face, she grabbed the door knob.

"Okay here it goes." she said softly before she turned the knob and opened the door.

Ross was standing bend over his answering machine, frantically pushing all the buttons the machine possessed. It almost made her laugh but that could also be because of the nerves that ran through her system right now.

"Oh god did she get of the plane? Did she get of the plane??" Ross was saying over and over again.

Rachel decided to take him out of his frantic wondering by saying the one thing she knew he wanted to hear.

"I got off the plane." She said with teary eyes.

Ross spun around so fast that he was surprised that he didn't topple over. He couldn't believe his eyes, there she was standing before him in the doorway looking at him with an almost pleading expression on her face. Her eyes were misted with tears. He couldn't help but stare back at her, more stunned then he had ever been in his life.

"You got off the plane?!" He almost whispered in disbelieve. He watched her for a few more moments. His mind just couldn't comprehend this sudden turn of events. She let out a soft sob as she stared back at him.

Without saying one more word he stepped forward closing the gap between them.

Taking her face in his hands he sealed his mouth over hers in a passionate desperate kiss. He just needed to feel her, make sure that she wasn't a fragment of his imagination. His heart leaped with joy when he felt her immediate response to his kiss.

Rachel closed her eyes when she felt him kiss her, it felt so good, so right to feel his lips move in perfect sync with hers. She felt him break away from the kiss as she brought her hands up to his face.

She gazed into his eyes, those eyes that always seemed to captivate her. She swallowed the lump in her throat before she opened her mouth to speak.

"I do love you." She said in a slightly trembling voice.

"I love you too and I am never going to let go of you again!" Ross countered. His voice was cracking just the slightest

Just hearing him, saying those words back to her, made her feel so relieved, so happy that she got off the plane. She knew she had made the right choice. This was where she had to be, she belonged here with him.

"Okay because this is where I want to be. Okay no more messing around I don't want to mess this up again!" She said crying.

"Me neither, we are done being stupid!" Ross countered firmly, his eyes were also misting with tears as he stared at the beautiful woman in front of him.

"It's you and me alright? This is it!" She said just as firm.

"This is it." Ross said. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity but was only seconds before the leaned into each other again.

The kiss started small and innocent at first with just a few loving nips of the lips, but it grew more passionate when they leaned in for a third time, wrapping their arms around each other tightly.

Ross broke the kiss burying his face into her neck for a moment as he whispered I love you's to her over and over again. She could just melt right there on the spot as she wrapped her arms even more tightly around him, shivering slightly at the warmth of his breath in her neck.

Unbeknown to them, two of their best friends were watching their interaction from across the street, wondering just how these sudden events would play out.

But Ross and Rachel didn't care about that right now as they were caught up in a passionate liplock while struggling to get back to the couch.

When Ross' knees hit the edge of the couch, he simply just let himself fall backwards taking Rachel with him without ever breaking their kiss.

Rachel moaned into the kiss when she felt him invade her mouth slowly but thoroughly. She shivered as she relaxed her body on top of his.

Ross grinned against her mouth as he slowly broke away. He wrapped an arm around her waist caressing her back.

"You can't even begin to imagine how happy I am right now, having you here with me in my arms." He whispered. Rachel buried her face into his neck as she grabbed his free hand to lace her fingers with his.

"I think I can actually, because I am equally happy." She whispered back.

Ross felt his heart flutter at that.

"I don't know what I was thinking, getting on that plane after you came all the way out there and told me all those wonderful things. I guess I was just scared. I'm just so sorry I put you through all of this." She suddenly said letting out a soft sob.

Ross kissed her hand before he let go to wrap her up in both his arms.

Rachel scooted down a little so she could place her head on his chest. She drew small circles on his stomach with her fingers as she listened to the steady beat of his heart.  
The silence that was around them was comfortable. She felt his strong hands on her back rubbing her through the fabric of her shirt.

The tears had dried when she looked up to lock her eyes with his.

"I still can't comprehend that you were willing to let me go just so that I could be happy. I can't even begin to imagine how much it must've hurt you to see me go after you told me you loved me so much at the airport.." She said sadly.

Ross silenced her by placing his index finger on her mouth.

"Forget about that now okay? You're here now and that is all that matters to me." Ross countered.

He gently cupped her face in his hands so that he could place a soft chaste kiss on her lips.

"We're going to make the best of it now, no more fooling around that is a promise. Just you me and Emma. We're going to be a family again and make it stick this time, just the three of us." He finished.

Rachel nodded, she couldn't believe just how wonderful he truly was.

"I like the sound of that, the three of us." She admitted before she sat up straddling his waist.

"But for now, just for tonight I want it to be the two of us. I need you, want you so much." She bent down so she could whisper the rest of her sentence in his ear.

"Please, make love to me."

Ross shivered involuntarily at that.

"Yes." He said hoarsely against her mouth before he deepened the kiss.

"But not here." He breathed into her ear. He gently sat up pushing her off of him for a moment. He scooped her up in his arms as he stood up. She immediately wrapped her legs around him while he carried her over to his bedroom.

Lowering her gently onto his bed, he just couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"Tell me I'm not dreaming." He kissed the crook of her neck softly.

Rachel closed her eyes pleasantly.

"You most certainly aren't dreaming." She told him. Ross smiled against her soft skin.

"Good, that's all I needed to hear."

It wasn't long before they both lost themselves in the moment. Passionate kisses were shared while hands roamed freely as more and more items of clothing found their way to the floor.

Ross loved the soft sounds she made at his ministrations as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. He still couldn't believe he was here, doing this with the woman of his dreams who had came back for him. He dipped his head to steal another breath taking kiss from her.

Rachel moaned softly into the kiss wrapping her arms tightly around the shoulders of the man above her. The way he could make her feel so many emotions and feelings in a fleeting matter of seconds was incredible. She closed her eyes as she breathed his name arching her body into his.

Passion was their guide as they moved together in perfect sync yet in a torturous slow manner both not wanting to take things to fast. Delicate whispers of admiration and soft cries of pleasure filled the dimly lit room which was illuminated by one small lamp that gave the room an almost eerie kind of glow.

He observed her as she closed her eyes tightly, totally caught up in the pleasure of their love making. He loved watching her in this very moment of intimacy. It made him tremble with want, knowing that she was thoroughly enjoying his every move on her.

"God you're perfect." He breathed out latching his mouth on to the soft skin of her collarbone. He sucked hard enough to make a mark but gently enough so he wouldn't hurt her.

Rachel bit her lip as she cracked her eyes open. For a moment she just gazed up at him, staring deeply into his eyes as she caressed his cheek softly.

"I love you." She breathed out before she arched herself into him, moaning out in pure bliss. He shuddered as he watched her unravel right before his very eyes. It didn't take long for him to follow her example.

He gently collapsed on top of her, right into her waiting arms. She hugged him close to her burying her face into the crook of his neck.  
Ross felt her warm breath on his slightly sweaty skin.

"That was amazing." He heard her whisper and he couldn't have agreed with her more on that.

"You are amazing." He whispered back as he rolled them over so she was on top of him. He caressed her back softly not saying another word for the longest time. They were just basking in the aftermath of their love making.

Rachel shivered when she felt the chilly breeze from the opened window on her naked skin, Ross noticing this, covered them up with the blankets on his bed. She snuggled into him under the blankets.

"Hmm I could get used to this again." She said with closed eyes, a smile was around her lips.

Ross just chuckled at that as he turned off the bedside lamp.

"You're not the only one." He whispered in the darkness before he gently kissed her goodnight...

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Ross was startled by the long and frantic knocking on his door. He was just finishing making some coffee in the kitchen. Rachel was still sound asleep as it was still early. He had spend almost an hour just looking at her while she slept.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" He said annoyed at the persistent knocking. When he opened the door, he was surprised by his slightly panting younger sister.

"Monica? What's going on?" He said getting worried almost immediately seeing her in such a state. It seemed that she had been running.

He pulled her into the apartment and closed the door behind him as he turned to face his sister again.

"I can very well ask you the same question! What happened?" Monica blurted out.

"What are you talking about?" Ross said genuinely confused.

"Rachel of course! She came back right? Where is she?" Monica said loudly. Ross hurriedly shushed her.

"Shh! Quiet down will you, she's still sleeping! And how do you know about her being back?" Ross arched his eyebrows at her when he noticed the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks.

"Well I was watching you through my window because I was worried sick about you! I wanted to come over last night but since you wanted to be alone and Chandler told me not too, I didn't and then suddenly I saw Rachel and well...yeah." She answered.

"You we're spying on me?" Ross said with a chuckle.

"I was not! I was just worried and you know it!" Monica hissed.  
Ross just shot her an amused look.

"Anyway, so what happened? Is she staying? What?" Monica said getting excited again as she followed Ross to the kitchen. She sat down at the kitchen table with him and took a cup of of coffee from his hands.

"Yeah she's here to stay." Ross said with an almost dreamy expression on his face.

"Really? That's great! So what does this mean for you? Are you guys getting back together now finally?"

"What's with the third degree this morning huh?" Ross joked although he knew his sister was just excited for him.

"Yeah we are, we're going to stick together no matter what from now on." He finished with a smile on his face.

Monica smiled at him as she took a sip from her coffee.

"Well it's about time!"

"About time for what?" Came a familiar voice from the kitchen doorway. Both Ross and Monica turned to face the person that was talking to them.

Rachel smiled at them, she had taken the liberty of raiding Ross' closet. She was wearing one of his shorts and a singlet. Ross couldn't take his eyes off of her even if he would try.

"Rachel! It's so good to see you back!" Monica said standing up and enveloping her friend into a tight hug before she slapped her on the arm rather hard.

"OW! Hey what's that for?" Rachel said rubbing her upper arm with a slight frown.

"Don't cry it wasn't that hard, you deserved it after making my brother miserable yesterday." Monica said seriously but Rachel saw the hint of a smile on her face.

"Yeah well, I'd say I made up royally for that last night." She said winking at Ross who promptly blushed.

Monica frowned, "Ew, I didn't need to know that. Look I have to get back, the movers will arrive soon. Will you guys stop by a little later to help with the last minute stuff?" She asked.

"Yeah we'll be over in a flash." Ross said.

"Rachel do you need some clothes?"

"No that's alright, I have one extra set of clothes in my hand luggage." Rachel countered.

"Okay, well then I'll see you two later!" Monica said.

"Yeah oh hey Mon? Don't tell anybody I'm here, I want to see the look on their faces when they see me." Rachel chuckled.

Monica just shot her a look before she nodded.

"Fine." She said almost laughing. With that she left the kitchen. Ross could hear her slam his apartment door shut, he winched.

"Now I understand why you weren't next to me when I woke up, I was feeling lonely." Rachel said with a pout as she climbed upon Ross' lap. She planted a soft kiss on his mouth.

"I'm sorry." Ross whispered against her lips as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll make it up to you."

"Is that a promise?" Rachel asked with a grin while she ran her fingers through his hair. She loved to be able to touch him like this again. She'd missed it if she had to be totally honest with herself.

"Yes." Ross said affectionately kissing the tip of her nose.

"Good." Rachel countered before she stood up.

"I'm going to take a shower." She outstretched her hand towards him.

"Join me?"

Ross didn't need to think about an answer to that as he took her hand in his...

**  
~*~*~*~*~*~**

"So Ross is coming over shortly?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, I visited him this morning and asked him if he wanted to and he said he would come over." Monica said trying really hard to conceal the smile that was about to break out on her face. She was gently rocking Jack in her arms who was sound asleep.

"How was he?" Joey asked concerned.

"Not good, he is really devastated that Rachel left. I can't blame him. It's just so sad you know." Monica said not looking up from the small bundle of joy in her arms because she knew her face would betray her. She only hoped that Ross and Rachel would be here soon so she didn't have to answer all the questions from their friends anymore.

"Well yeah, who wouldn't be after the love of your life decides to get on the plane anyway?" Phoebe said, she couldn't mask the hint of anger in her voice. She just hoped that Ross would be alright, it would take some time to heal for him but she already told herself that she would be there for him no matter what.

"Erica is asleep." Chandler said as he emerged from their bedroom where the twins crib was the only item left.

The door opened revealing some of the movers that had already started to take some of the packed boxes and the furniture down to the truck.

Monica handed Jack to Chandler.

"He's asleep too." She said with a soft smile on her face. She couldn't be happier, she was a mom now and of twins nonetheless. That little surprise still overwhelmed her somewhat.

"I'll just put him in the bed with his sister then." Chandler said softly.

Monica joined Phoebe and Joey who were standing in the middle of the room.

"This place already looks so different without all your stuff in it." Joey said sadly.

"I'm going to miss you living here, I wonder what kind of people I'll get for neighbors."

Monica chuckled at that.

"If you miss us, remember we do have a Joey room in our house in Westchester, you can visit us as much as you want." She said.

Joey promptly hugged her at that.

There was a knock on the door and Monica opened it to reveal Ross who was bearing a sad expression on his face. Just for a fleeting second, Monica began to feel worried at that till she saw him wink at her almost unnoticeable. She grinned as she let him in but sculpted her face into a serious expression.

"Hey Ross, come in." She said.

"Thanks." Ross was greeted by Phoebe and joey who both immediately hugged him.

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened man." Joey said.

"Yeah well..." Ross trailed off.

"What's with the gloomy atmosphere in here?" Came a voice from the doorway. Joey and Phoebe turned to face Rachel in total disbelieve.

"Rachel?!" They said simultaneously.

"Yeah?" Rachel said with a grin as she lowered Emma to the floor who immediately ran over to her father.

"What are you doing here? I mean I saw you board the plane, and they closed the gate door!" Phoebe said surprised as she enveloped her friend in a tight hug. Joey swiftly followed.

"Yeah, when Phoebe told us you boarded the plane, I was sure you'd be gone already." He said.

"Let's just say that someone's words have finally gotten through to me and that I had really friendly passengers with me on the plane." Rachel said smiling broadly as she retold the story of just how she was able to get of the plane.

"Wow you're kidding right? I mean that is great!" Phoebe said.

"What's all the commotion in here?" Chandler said all of a sudden as he emerged from the bedroom.

"Oh hey Rachel good to see you back!" he said walking over to her and hugging her.

Rachel chuckled, she knew that Chandler already knew that she was back. But the look of confusion on the others faces had been priceless. She walked over to Ross who was pointing at his apartment across the street through the window while talking to Emma.

"And there is your toy-box, do you see it?" He asked. Emma just nodded her head.

"What are you looking at?"

Ross looked at her with a warm smile on his face.

"Our home." He said.

"I really like the sound of that." Rachel said kissing his cheek softly. She tickled Emma's sides.

"Don't we Emma?" she said laughing. The little girl giggled squirming away from her mothers tickling hands.

Everyone else watched the interaction with a smile on their face. The movers came up again. Monica told them to be careful with her grandma's cabinet.

"But if that falls of the truck, it wouldn't be the worst thing!" She said as one of the movers grabbed the white dog to take it with him. She handed him a twenty with a pointed look.

Ross and Rachel turned away from the window to join everyone in the middle of the now empty apartment. Ross let Emma down on the floor so she could walk around.

"Wow." He said as he looked around.

"I know, it seems smaller somehow." Rachel said wrapping her arms around him from behind. She would miss this apartment, she had been living in it too for quite a long time.

"Has it always been purple?" Joey suddenly said in disbelieve. Phoebe just gave him a look while Monica and Chandler took in their surroundings over and over again.

"Let's get the twins and put them in their stroller." Monica said. They both left the room to emerge a while later, both a baby in their arms.

"Baby!" Emma suddenly said walking over to Monica. She tugged at her skirt. Monica bent through her knees so that Emma could look at little Erica.

Emma scrunched up her nose in concentration for a little bit. Then she turned and walked away,seemingly haven seen something interesting on the other side of the room.

Monica chuckled as she stood up straight again.

Chandler grinned as he held Jack.

"Look around you guys, this was your first home." He said as Monica stood next to him with Erica.

"And it was a happy place, filled with love and laughter. But more important because of rent control, it was a frigging' steal!" He finished making Monica and the other chuckle at that.

Somehow the atmosphere was getting more sad as they all realized that things were really going to change now that Chandler and Monica were moving.

"Hey do you realize, that one time or another we all lived in this apartment?" Phoebe suddenly said.

"Oh yeah, that is true!" Monica said.

"Uh I haven't." Ross said. He took a hold of Rachel's hand as she stood next to him.

"But what about that summer during college when you lived with grandma and you tried to make it as a dancer?" Monica said frowning.

Ross blushed in spite of himself.

"Do you realize we almost made it ten years without that coming up?!" He said embarrassed. Rachel just gave him a look.

"A dancer?" Was all she said with a chuckle. She felt a tug at her leg. She bend down to pick up her daughter who was trying to get her attention.

"Hey little one, were you getting lonely?" She said softly. Ross wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders, there was a fond smile around his lips.

"Oh sweetie, I almost forgot! I promised Treeger that we would leave our keys." Monica said as she took hers out of the front pocket of her jacket.

"Oh okay." Chandler said following her to the kitchen so he could place his key next to hers on the small counter. Both of them looked on in surprise and disbelieve when they witnessed all of their friends fishing keys from their pocket.

"What the?" Monica said in astonishment.

"When did you get those made?"

But nobody answered her, they just smiled sheepishly at her.

"Honey, can you take Emma for a moment?" Rachel asked Ross who had just left his key at the counter.

"Sure." He took Emma from her arms.

"Daddy!"The little girl cooed as she hugged him to the best of her efforts.

Rachel left her key at the counter before she returned to stand next to Ross, wrapping an arm around him and resting her head on his shoulder. Somehow this moment was making her feel sadder then she did a second ago. Now that they left their keys it was final, this apartment didn't belong to them any more.

"I guess this is it." Phoebe said.

"Yeah I guess it is." Joey countered as he looked around one more time.

"This is harder then I thought it would be." Monica said all of a sudden with teary eyes. Chandler hugged her.

"I know." Was all he said.

Rachel felt her own eyes tear up at that, she had a lot of fond memories of this place, granted not all memories were happy but that didn't matter, it had been her home too for so long.

Suddenly she felt a small hand on her cheek. Emma was touching her tears with a look of wonder in her eyes. Rachel couldn't help but chuckle at her facial expression.

"Mommy." Emma said reaching out her arms towards her.

Rachel took her from Ross. She felt two small chubby arms around her neck as Emma snuggled into her giving her what seemed to be a hug.

Rachel marveled at the sense of comfort she got from that little gesture from her daughter. She squeezed her into her for a moment.

"Thank you sweetie." She whispered as she wiped at her eyes. Ross smiled at the small interaction that played out before his very eyes before he wrapped both of them up in his arms.

Rachel turned to face Monica and Chandler.

"So do you have to go to the new house right away, or so you have some time?" She asked.

"We got some time." Monica answered.

"Okay, then shall we get some coffee?"

"Sure! Where?" Chandler joked. They all laughed softly at that as they made their way out of the door. Monica looked back one more time before she closed the door behind her and followed the others down the stairs. Joey and Chandler lifted the twins stroller down the stairs carefully.

When they were outside, Rachel put Emma on the ground and took one of her hands while Ross took the other. They slowly followed the others to Central Perk with a proudly stepping little girl in between them.

They all took a seat on their favorite spot in the coffee house, the orange couch and the comfortable chair around the coffee table.

Ross sat in the chair with Emma in his lap. They all ordered their drinks before settling down in a comfortable silence. Monica peaked into the stroller, the twins were still fast asleep.

"Cookie!" Emma squealed when Ross gave her a piece of his muffin. He watched her munch on it happily. Rachel laughed at that.

"I'm going to miss this." Monica said sadly as she looked around at all her friends.

"Oh come on, you make it sound as if you will never ever set foot in here again!" Phoebe said frowning slightly.

"Well of course we'll keep coming here but it's still different because it wont be on a regular basis anymore." Monica countered.

"That may be true but come on, let's not be sad." Joey said sipping his drink.

"Besides, we'll come visit you guys so much, you'll get tired of us really soon believe me!"

Chandler chuckled.

"I don't think we'll ever get tired of seeing you guys though." He said.

For a few moments they all just laughed at some of the fondest memories they had of Central Perk but unfortunately time did not stand still.

"We really have to go now." Monica said looking at her watch.

"Yeah, I think we need to go too, I have a little girl here that needs to be tucked in." Ross said pointing to a sleeping Emma .

They all stood up and walked outside where they said their goodbyes to Chandler and Monica.

"I'm going to miss having you around." Rachel said softly as she hugged her friend tightly.

"Me too, you guys have to come over really soon, promise!" Monica said with teary eyes.

"Promise." Rachel said giving her a final hug. They watched them go until they couldn't be seen anymore.

"Wow it feels so weird right now, knowing that we wont be together, the six of us as much as we used too." Phoebe said.

"Yeah I agree." Joey said.

Ross carefully hoisted Emma up in his arms, she was getting heavy.

"We should go too Rach, Em needs to be in her bed." He said turning towards Rachel who was hugging both Phoebe and Joey.

"Yeah." She said as she walked over to him.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow okay!" She said waving at Phoebe and Joey who agreed before walking back into Central Perk.

Rachel wrapped an arm around Ross' waist as they slowly made their way over to their apartment.

When they arrived home, Rachel gently tucked Emma into her bed. As she watched her sleep for a little while, Rachel couldn't help but think just how blessed she was with this little family of her own.

She entered the living-room again, Ross was sitting on the couch just staring out of the window at the now empty apartment across the street.

"Looks so strange huh?" Rachel said as she snuggled up to him. She felt him wrap his arm around her immediately and it ignited a smile from her.

"Yeah, it's going to be weird seeing someone else live there." Ross said softly as he turned to look at her. He gave her a smile before he softly kissed her forehead.

Rachel closed her eyes for a moment at that sweet gesture.

"I don't know why, but I feel totally drained."

"Well it has been an emotional 24 hours for you, for both of us." Ross said.

"Wanna take a nap?"

Rachel just nodded. Ross gently laid back down on the couch stretching his legs out over the length of it.  
He wrapped his arms around her as he felt her relax, snuggling into his body. It was a tight fit on the couch she was half on top of him but he didn't mind that at all, he wanted to keep her close for a while.

"I love you." Rachel whispered softly already feeling sleep tug at her consciousness.

"I love you too, so much." She heard Ross say, feeling him squeezing her into him for a moment.

She closed her eyes as she listened to his steady heartbeat for a moment. Her life was just about perfect right now.....

The END!


	22. What happens in VegasPt1

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**20; What happens in Vegas......(pt1)**

**A/n; ****Welcome to the next chapter of LGOL. This one divided in two parts! This is part one and deals with TOI Vegas. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, drunk!RnR is fun to write because I make them say and do stupid stuff.**

**There is an OT rating on the chapter because there are some references to adult situations in here but not explicit enough for an R rating. **

**Anyway, without further ado.**

**Enjoy!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

"There is only one way you can get me out of this room!" Rachel slurred slightly. Ross just gave her a questioning look. He was tired of being in the hotel room they shared. He wanted to get outside and do stuff, maybe even win a little money. He grimaced when he remembered that Rachel was now in possession of most of his cash due to their warped game of Poker. He rubbed his head, the alcohol was really laying it on him and he was tipsy. But so was she.

He chuckled as he remembered just how they got to be in this situation. He couldn't help but laugh at his memories of the plane ride to Vegas, they had both tried to embarrass each other so much but in the end it was he who won that game.

He stared at her face, admiring the nice mustache and beard he had drawn on her. She was scowling heavily at him, he quickly averted his eyes.

"You really think this is amusing don't you?' Rachel said spitefully. Ross stifled a giggle.

"N..no?" He answered but he already knew she wouldn't believe that.

"Ugh you're impossible!" Rachel said throwing one of the pillows from the bed at his head. It hit him full force in the face. He was totally rigid with shock for a moment. Rachel bursts out laughing when she looked at his dumbfounded facial expression. It reminded her of his expression when he had come over totally thinking that she wanted to have sex with him when he had seen her dancing naked in her apartment.

"Hey quit it!" Ross said ducking behind a chair to avoid the pillows that were coming his way courtesy of Rachel.

She sat down on the bed with the small marker in her hand.

"If you let me draw on your face, we can leave the room." She said firmly. Ross thought about that for a moment as he sat at the foot of the bed with his back towards her. The prospect of having ink on his face wasn't really appealing to him but he really wanted to get out of the room.

"What if you try to put some more make-up on it?" He tried but she shook her head.

"That's not working and you know it!"

Ross let out a sigh as he tried to come up with a resolution that would leave his face ink free. He may be tipsy but he didn't really feel like embarrassing himself in front of a bunch of strangers.

"Well?" Rachel said as she took a sip from one of the half empty small bottles of liquor . She grimaced at the taste of it.

"Fine!" Ross said defeated as he turned towards her with a slight scowl on his face.

"Oh come on it's not that bad!"

"Sure" Ross said sarcastic. "I bet there is nothing more embarrassing then to walk around with your face full of ink!"

"Well now you know how I feel!!"Rachel said before she grinned at him in a mischievous way.

"Would you say it's even more embarrassing then showing up at my apartment thinking I wanted to have sex with you?" She carefully wrote his name on his forehead before she colored the tip of his nose and drew whiskers on his cheeks.

"Could you please drop that subject!"Ross said blushing in spite of himself, He really had made a fool out of himself during that moment. He stood up and watched himself in the mirror.

"Hey that's not half bad!" He grinned turning back to face her.

"Can we go now?!" He opened the door for her so she could step out.

"Fine! What do you want to do?" Rachel said.

"Hmm how about we hit the bar and get something to drink first, after that we could maybe gamble a bit or...wait or we could eat a lot of grapes! Yes grapes let's do that!" Ross slurred.

"Okay sounds like a plan!" They laced their arms through each others as they made their way to the elevators. People were staring at them with amused expressions on their faces.

"Keep on looking, you won't forget a face like this anytime soon!" Ross said giggling. They had stumbled into the bar where they ordered some drinks. They sat at a small table in the back.

"Hey look it's Phoebe!" Ross said in a high pitched voice waving frantically at said friend but she didn't see him for she was playing the slot machines pretty intently.

"That's rude!" Ross frowned thinking that Phoebe was ignoring him. Rachel let out a sigh.

"I'm bored! Let's go walk around or something!" She said standing up. Ross stood up also taking his glass with him.

"Erm Sir! You are not supposed to take the glass outside the bar with you!" One of the waiters said hastily when he witnessed Ross and Rachel leaving.

"Oh don't worry I'll bring it back!" Ross said laughing uncontrollably which was kind of infectious so Rachel started laughing too.

They hurriedly made their way across the room so the waiter couldn't follow them. They stared defiantly at the people that were giving them strange looks.

Ross grinned to himself as he faced one of the strangers that was glancing at them.

"'Scuse me sir but you have a little something right there!" He said pointing to his own cheek. Rachel burst out in giggles when Ross made a very weird sounding noise at the bewildered stranger. They passed a statue of a naked man and bowed down to it.

"Hello! Hello!" they repeated simultaneously before they made their way over to the hallway so they could cross over into another room.

"Let's find some grapes now!" Ross said setting his empty glass aside.

But Rachel didn't answer him, instead she was looking at a flyer that hung on the announcement board of the room. Suddenly something clicked in her head as she faced Ross who was eying her with a questioning look on his face.

"I have a better idea! Let's get Married!" She said pointing towards the flyer, Ross' eyes followed her movement.

As he wobbled unsteadily on his feet he shared a curious look with the woman before him. Sure his mind was fuzzy and his thoughts couldn't be called straight right now but his hearing was good, no nothing wrong with that!

"You want to what?" He slurred slightly with lifted brows. Somehow he just had a moment of clear soberness, like he had only been drinking juice all night instead of various alcoholic beverages that truly started to make him feel queasy. They didn't mix well apparently.

"Let's get married! Come on it will be so much fun!" Rachel clung to his arm as she looked into his eyes with an almost pleading look on her face. Her voice was cracking slightly and her eyes glazed over as she looked ahead of her almost dreamily.

"But I want to eat grapes, you said we could!" He whined but she would have nothing of that.

"Yeah yeah i know i promised you that but we can do that after we get married okay? Besides you still owe me for drawing on my face! So you have to do this with me first!" She said firmly as she planted her hands in her sides.

"But you got to draw on my face for that! You're not being fair, I want grapes!"

Rachel let out an almost frustrated sigh before her face lighted up with a smile.

"Oh come on Ross, it won't take long." She said as she took a step towards him. Something inside of him told him he had to be careful, there was just something about the way that she was looking at him that made him want to run away as fast as he could and yet he stayed rooted to the spot as she closed the distance between them.

"Maybe you just need some more convincing?" Rachel said as she grabbed a hold of his shoulders to steady herself on her wobbly feet. Ross gulped visibly as he stared down into her questioning face. With a small smile she leaned into him till she could whisper in his ear.

"If you do this with me first, I'll feed you grapes for as long as you want." She said teasingly before she planted a soft kiss behind his ear. Ross was shocked by that, he hurriedly took a step backwards to distance himself from her with a furious blush on his face.

"Really?' He asked hopefully.

"It's a promise!" Rachel said nodding her head at him. She stuck up her hand sticking out her pinky.

"I'll pinky promise it to you." She said. Ross stepped forwards again so he could curl his pinky finger around hers.

"Deal! And remember you pinky promised so you can't back out!" He said with a serious expression. Rachel giggled as she grabbed his hand almost dragging him with her.

"I know! Now let's find that wedding chapel, oh this is so exciting!" She almost squealed out.

Ross didn't reply to that, instead he just followed her wherever she was dragging him. They walked past the pay phones and that's where he stopped her.

"Wait! Shouldn't we invite the others to come watch it? You know they will get mad if we don't tell them about this, I don't want Monica to yell at me." He trailed off.

"Oh right! Good thinking, okay I'll call Monica and Chandler and you call Phoebe. Oh and Joey don't forget Joey!" She searched around in her pockets.

"I don't have a coin." She said matter of factly. Ross handed her one of his quarters.

"There you go, okay so I am calling Joey first." But Rachel wasn't listening to him anymore as she was speaking into her phone, it looked like she was talking to an answering machine. Ross picked up the ear-piece of his phone and dialed the room number of Joey, he surprised himself that he still could remember that. The rest of the evening was becoming a misty haze in his alcohol induced mind already.

"Hello?"

Ross smiled hugely when he heard the voice of his friend through the phone.

"Joey! Joey guess what! I'm getting married............with Rachel you have to come! It's going to be so amazing!" He almost yelled into the phone.

"Whoa wait what?"

Joey who was back in his room, held the phone at a safe distance from his ear because Ross was talking so loudly. He sounded drunk and he was talking about a wedding.

"You and Rachel are getting what?!?" He asked in disbelieve but he didn't get a reply, Ross had apparently already hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Phoebe asked curious. Joey turned to her with a smile on his face.

"We have to find the chapel, Ross just invited us to his and Rachel's wedding!" He said excited.

"What?!" Phoebe said loudly. "Are you serious?"

Joey nodded as he hurriedly made his way over to the door. "Come on Pheebs, you don't want to miss this!" He said as he held the door open for her.

"You're right I wouldn't want that, I'm so thrilled for my Lobsters, finally they see the light!" Phoebe said as she followed Joey out of the door.

Meanwhile Ross and Rachel were running all over the place trying to find a chapel.

"Where is it? It can't be far away from here." Rachel said with a sigh as she took in her surroundings. They ended up in one of the emptier gambling rooms their hotel possessed.

"Well we could ask someone?" Ross slurred heavily as he took another sip of his beverage, it had a pineapple taste mixed with alcohol and he could've sworn he tasted some mint too.

Rachel eyed him.

"Where did you get that?' She asked.

"I grabbed it from that guys plate over there." Ross replied pointing towards his left where sure enough was a waiter standing handing out drinks.

"Oh" Rachel said before she took the glass from his hands and took a few sips.

"Hey! Get your own!" Ross said taking the glass back from her.

"Oh get over it, now come on! We have to find that chapel!" Rachel grabbed a hold of his hand again as she made her way out of the room. Ross just followed her lead while sipping his drink. His vision was kind of hazy and his alcohol induced mind was beginning to play tricks on him.

"There it is!" He suddenly yelled out when he saw a small white building at the end of the garden they were walking in at the moment. He pointed frantically ahead of him hoping that Rachel would notice it too.

"Good job seeing that!" Rachel slurred, she quickened her step, Ross followed along.

When they reached the chapel, they hurriedly went over to the reception desk to announce their business.

"We want to get married!" Rachel said with a goofy smile on her face. Ross nodded along heavily setting his now empty glass aside.

"Yes we really really want to. Can we?" He said smiling also as he wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulder.

"But of course! First you need to sign these consent forms and then you're free to enter the chapel to get wed." The receptionist said handing them both a thin piece of paper and a pen. Without even looking at the text that was on the papers, both Ross and Rachel signed them before handing them back to the receptionist.

"Thank you." She said friendly taking the forms out of their hands, "You may proceed into the chapel now."

She pointed at the small white door that indicated the chapel's entrance.

"Come on!" Rachel said excited. Ross halted her for a moment.

"Wait, shouldn't we wait for the others to arrive? They're gonna miss it!" He asked with a worried frown.

"Well they should have hurried up getting here, I can't wait any longer this is so exciting." Rachel said before turning away from him and stepping into the chapel. Ross shrugged his shoulders for a moment before he followed her in.

The chapel wasn't big but it was beautiful, decorated with lots and lots of white flowers. There was a small fountain alongside the wall which was lined with several benches. The ceiling was decorated with flowery paintings in soft light colors.

"Wow!" Ross said in awe as he took in his surroundings.

"Yeah this is pretty." Rachel said looking all around her as well.

"Good evening and welcome to the Little Chapel, please come forward so we can commence with the ceremony." A deep voice suddenly said. Both Ross and Rachel turned their attention to the front where a minister was standing, waiting for them to come forward.

They took the few steps that were needed and as they both stood in front of the minister, Rachel started giggling uncontrollably.

Ross gave a her a confused look, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah yeah I am fine it's just that suddenly I feel a little nervous!" Rachel said almost in disbelieve at that revelation.

"Don't you?"

Ross thought for a second before he shook his head.

"No not really I'm just thrilled because I get to marry you!" He said honest. Rachel flashed him a smile at that.

"Shall we commence?" The minister said. He handed Rachel a small bouquet of white flowers, the same that were all over the place as decoration and asked them for their names which he wrote down on an official looking piece of paper.

"Yeah let's do this" Ross said looking into Rachel's eyes, a confident smile was around his lips.

"Very well"

The minister urged them to take each others right hand. Rachel laced her fingers through Ross' and gave him a gentle squeeze as they both listened to the minister saying his prays and sealing their marriage to one another.

"And so by the city of Las Vegas and the power that is infested in me, I hereby will join you two into marriage, Ross if you will please repeat after me."

Ross listened to the minister intently never taking his eyes off the woman in front of him, his heart was beating fast in his chest for some reason he couldn't quite place.

"I Ross, take you Rachel to be my lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health for richer or poor until death do us part." He repeated.

"Very good, now Rachel please repeat after me." The minister said with a smile on his face.

Rachel swallowed softly before she was able to repeat the ministers words.

"I, Rachel take you Ross to be my lawfully wedded husband,in sickness and in health for richer or poor until death do us part." She said softly.

"Very nice, then hereby I announce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride." The minister said.

Ross bit his lip nervously, it had been quite a long time since he had kissed Rachel and to think that he was allowed now made him feel happy and nervous at the same time. Rachel let go of his hands and placed her hands on his chest grabbing the fabric of his blouse tightly.

She leaned in slightly with half lidded eyes.

"Well what are you waiting for? Kiss me." She whispered intense.

Ross didn't need to hear those words twice, a shiver ran through him when he sealed his mouth over hers in a passionate kiss. His arms encircled her waist pulling her completely into him. He felt her arms reach up to wrap around his shoulders as they both lost themselves in the moment.

When they parted, they were both breathing heavily and blushing.

"That was some kiss." The minister commented with a grin on his face. Ross and Rachel just smiled sheepishly at him.

"Very well, congratulations, you are now officially wed! I wish you nothing more then happiness and health and thank you for choosing the Little Chapel as your wedding location. Here is small gift from us to you, have a good night!" The minister handed them a set of coupons before he disappeared to the back of the chapel.

"What are those?" Ross asked curiously.

"Coupons for dinner at Pizza hut!" Rachel said enthusiastically.

"Let's go there, I am kind of hungry."

"Sure!" Ross said as he laced his arm with Rachel's . They walked back to the entrance of the chapel. He noticed a bowl of rice standing there.

"Hey let's throw some rice when we get outside, it's for good luck!" He said taking a handful and giving it to her before he took some for himself.

"Yeah that will be fun!"

They stepped out into the chapel and threw the rice up in the air.

"Well helloooo Ms Ross!" Ross said laughing.

"Well helloooo Mr Rachel!" Rachel replied just as enthusiastically. They walked to the exit into the gardens when they both began to feel queasy.

"Ugh okay!" They both said walking to a different side of the garden to throw up.

Meanwhile inside the building, Monica and Chandler were rooted to the spot after having witnessed Ross and Rachel emerging from the chapel.

"What the?" Chandler said in total shock.

"I don't know?" Monica replied.

Back in the garden, Ross wiped his mouth with a grimace, that had not been nice but he had to admit he did feel a lot better now.

"Rach? Are you okay?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah I am fine now!" Rachel said with a smile.

"I need some water to rinse my mouth though." She said with a frown.

"There is a fountain right over there by that gazebo." Ross offered. He took her hand and took her with him to said fountain.

"You're really good at finding stuff!" Rachel said amazed. They both took handfuls of the refreshing water and rinsed their mouths out. Ross gulped thirstily, his throat was dry.

"I hope this water is clean though." Rachel said after she realized just what they were doing. She hurriedly wiped her mouth.

Ross wiped his mouth as well. He stretched out.

"So I think it's time you returned that promise to me, let's go eat grapes!" He said excited.

Rachel grinned at him.

"We will but don't you want to have dinner first? I don't know about you but I am kind of hungry."

Ross thought for a moment, she did have a good point there.

"Okay but after that, it's grape eating time!" He said.

"Sure is." Rachel said before she followed him out of the garden.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Ross happily munched on the grapes Rachel was feeding him. They were back into their hotel room and it was getting quite late. He stifled a yawn behind his hand.

"You tired?" Rachel asked feeding him another grape.

"Maybe just a little." Ross said with a smile.

"God I can't believe I'm actually married to you now. Do you know how much I've longed for that dream to come true?" He said softly as he leaned back against the headboard of the bed.

"No but I can very well guess I think." Rachel said as she fed him the last grape.

"No more grapes for you." She said grinning.

Ross gave her a sad look.

"Damn, I was enjoying myself so much, can't we get another portion?" He asked hopefully. But Rachel shook her head at him. She sat up on her knees. Something caught her eye on the nightstand. Suddenly she had a very bright idea as she eyed Ross for a moment who was giving her a confused look.

She sat just a little closer to him so she could grab hold of his t shirt.

"Take off your shirt." Rachel said as she tugged at the hem of it.

"Why?!" Ross blurted out sitting up straight taking the fabric from her hands holding it protectively against himself.

Rachel shook her head at that as she scooted closer towards him. She was on her knees facing him while he was sitting on the bed with his legs spread out in front of him. She slowly but surely advanced on him and before he could recall just what was going on she had pushed him back and sat on top of him straddling his waist. She grinned down at his mortified expression as he rubbed the back of his head. It had hit the headboard when she had pushed him down.

"Come on now, I know you're not that shy, take it off." Rachel said. She slowly inched her hands over his stomach while she grabbed a hold of his shirt again. Slowly she trailed her hands up taking it with her exposing more and more of his bare skin the higher she went up.

Ross blushed in spite of himself but found that he just couldn't resist her request any longer as he helped her pull the shirt over his head.

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?" Rachel whispered into his ear as she tossed it aside. She let her hands roam over his chest and stomach for a moment, marveling at the feeling of his soft warm skin under her hands.

Ross heard alarms going off in his head when he felt her caress his skin like that. He couldn't help the shiver that ran through him at her touches.

"Uhm what are you doing?" He asked . But Rachel didn't answer him,instead she got off of him and pinned him with a defiant look.

"Turn around." She said as she grabbed the small black pen from the nightstand.

"What why? What are you up too!" Ross said as he gave her a very suspicious look.

"Just do it!" Rachel said.

"No I don't want to! You're going to do something to me I just know it!" Ross said standing his ground.

Rachel thought deeply for a moment before a bright idea hit her. She grinned almost evilly as she advanced on Ross again who eyed her warily scooting away from her just a little.

"Oh come on Ross, why won't you turn around? I promise I won't do anything bad to you. Don't you trust me? We're married now, married people should trust each other completely." Rachel said softly with a pout. Ross gulped.

"That's a mean thing to say, of course I trust you!" Ross said.

"I don't believe you." Rachel said sadly as she sat back on her knees again avoiding his eyes. She wrapped her arms around her self as she bit her lip. Ross felt guilty immediately when he saw that. He scooted closer towards her again and wrapped his arms around her for a moment.

"I'm sorry! Hey I do trust you, I'll turn around okay? Please don't be sad, I can't stand seeing you hurt in whatever way you know that right?" He whispered softly planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Really?" Rachel asked hopeful.

"For sure!" Ross said. He let go of her and proceeded to lay back on his stomach.

He didn't see the grin on Rachel's face.

"Too easy!" She said softly to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing!" Rachel said hastily as she straddled him again sitting down on his butt. She unscrewed the cap from the marker. She bend over him placing her hands on either side of him for a moment.

"Stay still." She whispered almost seductively as she placed the point of the marker on his back. Without further ado, she started writing onto his skin.

Ross felt the light touch of the marker on his back and groaned.

"Why do you feel the need to draw on me again?!" He asked.

"I'm not drawing on you, I'm writing on you and don't worry this will come off when you take a bath, it's a different marker." Rachel lied.

"Oh okay then." Ross said. He waited patiently till she was finished. She sat back admiring her work.

"What did you write?" Ross asked curiously.

"Just Married" Rachel replied smiling. She climbed off of him again so he could turn around and sit up. She scooted closer to him again leaning back against the headboard next to him.

"Nice" Ross commented.

Rachel stared at him intensely.

"You know now that we are married, there is one thing we haven't done yet and we should do it, it's kind of a rule." She said softly.

"And what's that?" Ross said equally soft.

Rachel blushed slightly as she locked her eyes onto his. She cleared her throat softly.

"Erm well, we just got married you know and usually when people marry they have a...a.."

"Wedding night!" Ross said brightly. Rachel giggled at his outburst.

"So?" She trailed off.

Ross blushed in spite of himself when the true meaning of their conversation finally sunk in. He gulped, he had to admit, the prospect of making love to Rachel, now his wife and whom he loved so very dearly was really appealing to him. But something deep inside himself told him he was going to make a mistake if he slept with her now. He couldn't shake that little voice away and it confused him.

"So?" he breathed.

"I think we should do it." Rachel whispered wrapping her arms around his neck as she straddled his waist again. Ross' hands automatically found their way around her middle, holding her close to him.

He bit his lip as he stared into her blue eyes for a moment.

"You think?" He asked hoarsely.

"Hmm mm definitely, it's like a law" Rachel said. She ran her fingers through his hair pulling his face closer towards her.

Ross bit his lip, somehow he felt really nervous all of a sudden which was really strange for he had slept with her before. But it had been a long time since they had been this intimate with each other and it scared him. All kind of thoughts went through his head but they disappeared immediately when he felt Rachel kiss him tenderly, softly roaming her mouth over his. Her eyes were still open challenging him to make a move.

And he did.

He closed his eyes and deepened the kiss passionately. Rachel moaned into the kiss when she felt his hands trace her spine through the fabric of her shirt.

"You can take it off if you want." She whispered against his mouth, she grabbed a hold of his hands and placed them at the hem of her shirt. Ross could only comply to her as he slowly pulled the shirt up and over her head tossing it aside. She was wearing a white singlet and it annoyed him.

Rachel giggled at his scowl. She ran her fingers along the side of his face planting soft chaste kisses on his mouth.

Ross returned her kisses with a soft smile. He slipped his hands under the fabric of her singlet so he could caress the soft warm skin of her back. He couldn't wait to feel her skin against his, the fact that she was on top of him didn't help much at all neither, he felt his body react to her closeness.

He skimmed his fingers over her sides making her chuckle into their kisses.

"That tickles!" She said breaking away from him. Ross grinned at that as he deliberately started tickling her sides.

"Stop!" Rachel breathed as she burst out into laughter clutching his shoulders tightly.

"Why should I?" Ross said suggestively.

"Oh you think you're so smart, take this!" Rachel managed to get her hands around his middle and started tickling him as well. Ross bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing out loud.

"That doesn't do a thing for me." He said through clenched teeth. Rachel just gave him a look.

"Liar!" She laughed. They ended up rolling around the bed in fits of laughter and somehow Ross lost most of his clothing along the way.

"What happened?" He said breathing heavily as he looked down on himself. He was only wearing his boxers still while Rachel was still in her singlet but sans pants as well.

"You're so sneaky." He said kissing the crook of her neck. Rachel arched her head back with a sigh.

"You're one to talk, you undressed me as well." She protested weakly wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Yeah but you're still wearing quite a lot compared to me." He whispered into her ear as he turned around taking her with him. She was now lying on top of him in between his legs.

Rachel buried her face into the crook of his neck when she felt his warm hands all over her backside.

Ross squeezed her buttocks softly causing her to arch her hips into him making him gasp out loud at the sensations it brought to him. He shivered when she kept grinding into him, her warm mouth was sucking on his collarbone while her hands were lightly caressing his upper body. He was slowly but surely losing himself in the moment.

He felt her small hands trail lower till they reached the rim of his boxers. He didn't know how she did it, maybe the alcohol was giving her some kind of super strength or something because she managed to take them off in one fluid motion.

Ross blushed furiously in spite of himself at her forwardness.

"Whoa!' He almost moaned out when he felt her relax her body on top of him again.

"What?" Rachel said softly with half lidded eyes. She squirmed on top of him creating a really nice friction on him.

"N...nothing!" Ross gasped grabbing a hold of her teasing hips. She pressed her mouth against his for a moment before she broke away looking deeply into his eyes. She smiled down at him trying to move her hips again but he held them in a very tight grip.

"Come on Ross let go." She whimpered. Ross bit his lip as he watched her lean more into him. She buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"I just want to..........just want tooo.." She trailed off. Ross waited for her to finish her sentence, the feel of her warm breath was driving him slowly crazy.

Suddenly soft snores reached his ears. He looked down at her as good as he good only to see her fast asleep, she was drooling onto him a little even.

"What the?" He said to himself, He groaned. Why oh why did this have to happen now? He was still in a kind of aroused state and the fact that she was still lying on top of him didn't help. Also he began to feel a little nauseous again, the alcohol that was still in his body began to act up a little.

"Damn." He cursed. He carefully shifted his body so he could reach the blankets that were in a heap next to them on the bed. He tried to think of things that would certainly help him out of the embarrassing situation he was in as he covered both him and Rachel with the blankets. He watched her for a moment, a fond smile around was around his lips.

"Damn you." He whispered softly as he kissed her forehead.

He switched off the bedside lamp and relaxed his body. He was beginning to feel the start of a massive headache and he already knew he would regret drinking so much in the morning. But for now he just let it be as he closed his eyes so sleep could finally claim him. The faint sounds of music outside their room and the warmth of Rachel's body lulled him into a peaceful slumber.

They didn't realize yet just how much more complicated their relationship had become...

End of Pt1!


	23. Won't stay in VegasPt2

**Little glimpses of Love**

**21;...Won't stay in Vegas.(pt2)**

**A/N; ****Welcome to the next installment of LGOL! This chapter is a continuation of the previous one. We will start with RnR waking up and discovering they are married. Basically i will follow the flow of the episode TOA Vegas. There will be a timeskip in this because i have decided to include the TOW Joey's Porsche episode in this as well.**

**Now without further ado, enjoy this chapter!**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Slowly, Rachel opened her eyes to tiny slits. The light from the room shone into them and she let out a groan of agony, her head was throbbing. She snuggled back into the warm blankets for a moment, just trying to enjoy some last moments of slumber before she had to get up. She stretched out a little before she brought her upper body up by leaning on her arms knocking over a beer can in the process.

"Huh?" She frowned heavily at the can that was now on the floor. She shrugged her head slightly as she looked up. She came face to face with her reflection in a mirror. She frowned more heavily as she observed herself, she looked weird to say the least. There was ink on her face.

"Oh." She sighed when she remembered how she got the beard and mustache on her face. Ross would pay for that just not today, the headache she was experiencing right now wasn't fun. She was about to just lie down for a minute again when a sudden movement on the bed startled her. She screamed out in shock when she noticed there was someone next to her and that someone was Ross.

"OW!" They both said simultaneously, grabbing their heads in the process. Rachel rubbed her forehead for a moment before she looked to her side. Ross was staring back at her with a confused expression on his face.

"Why are we in bed together?" He asked.

"I don't know!" Rachel replied.

"Did we..." Ross started but he was interrupted by Rachel.

"I don't know!" She said hastily, she didn't want to think about what could have happened that made them wake up in the same bed.

"D..do you have any clothes on?" She asked almost frightened to hear the answer.

Ross felt under the covers, he tried not to show it but he was in fact bare naked.

"Yes." He said not looking at her.

"Really?"

"No." Ross admitted.

Rachel let out a strangled sound, this was not looking good at all.

Ross turned his head to look at her.

"We didn't have.....sex? Did we?" He asked in a high pitched voice.

"I mean, I don't remember much about last night, it's all such a blur!" Ross started laughing.

"OH!" Rachel suddenly exclaimed, "I remember laughing, I laughed a lot!"

"Then we didn't have sex." Ross concluded.

"Well so what did we do last night?" Rachel asked with a confused frown on her face as she tried to recall the events of the previous night but to no avail. She couldn't remember anything.

"I don't know, but I think it was a lot of fun." Ross said with a chuckle. Rachel agreed with him on that.

"Luckily not too much fun!" She said.

"Oh no I don't think so." Ross said firmly.

"Thank God." Rachel sat up so she could get out of the bed.

"Oh I mean we were really drunk! I'm just glad we didn't do anything stupid!" She said as she stood up.

"Tell me about it!" Ross said in agreement as he too sat up in the bed rubbing his sore head.

"I'm gonna go and take a shower." Rachel said before she closed the bathroom door behind her. Ross quickly scanned the messy floor of their room to find his undergarments. When he found them he put them on. He sighed heavily as he looked around the trashed room.

"What the hell happened here?" He wondered out loud as he started to clean up some of the mess. He shook his head at the amount of mini bottles of liquor and beer cans he found. They must have been really smashed last night. He tried to remember something, anything but he couldn't.

Rachel emerged from the bathroom, all freshened up.

"All yours" She said with a small smile.

"Okay, after this let's go have some breakfast, I'm starving!" Ross said.

"Yes, I'll let Phoebe know we're on the way." Rachel said taking the plastic bag from his hands. She set it aside, she would finish cleaning after she made the call to phoebe's room.

Ross stepped under the warm rays of the shower, the warm water felt great on his skin. He closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't notice the slightly black colored water that seemed to come from him. The writing on his back began to fade until it disappeared entirely.

When he was done, he emerged back into the hotel-room. Rachel had just cleared the last of the empty bottles and beer cans.

"Geesh, we really drank a lot, I mean I figured that but after cleaning this mess....wow!" Rachel said as she turned to face Ross.

"Yeah I know. Come on let's have some breakfast, we can clean up the rest after." He said walking past her to open the door. He let her pass him before he closed the door following her towards the elevators.

When they arrived at the breakfast table, they took a seat next to each other. They didn't see the stares the others were giving them.

"So when are you going to tell us about what you two did last night?" Chandler asked.

"What do you mean, nothing happened last night!" Rachel said hastily.

The others just gave them a strange look. Phoebe put down her drink.

"Yes there has! Ross invited all of us to watch!" She said matter of factly. Rachel turned towards Ross, slapping him on the arm she just shook her head at him.

"What's the matter with you!" She said almost horrified.

"Rachel, we weren't going to miss our friends getting married!" Monica said. The others agreed with her on that.

"Oh, who got married?!" She asked in surprise. Chandler rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Eh...you did?" He said pointing towards the two of them.

Ross and Rachel stared at him for a moment before they burst out in chuckles disagreeing with that statement profusely.

But suddenly they both gasped out loud as they stared at each other.

"Wait I remember being in a chapel!" Ross said suddenly when the truth of the situation sunk in.

"But wait, they would not let you get married when you're that drunk?!" He said in disbelieve. Rachel just buried her face in her hands.

"Of course they'll let you get married, most people that get married in Vegas ARE drunk!" Joey said.

"Yeah, I'm drunk right now!" Phoebe replied earning strange looks from the rest.

"What I can't have a Mimosa for breakfast? I'm on vacation!" She said defensive.

They all turned back to a still shocked Ross and Rachel who were trying to comprehend the severity of the situation they had gotten themselves into. Rachel closed her eyes almost wishing that the stupid thing they'd done was shaving sex, it would certainly be a lot less complicated than the situation they were dealing with now!

They talked about it some more, trying to come up with what they had to do now.

Chandler joked about Ross getting a divorce again but Ross just laughed at him.

"Laugh all you want, but we don't need to get an actual divorce. We can just get this annulled!"

Phoebe suddenly had a revelation.

"Oh so that is your thing!"

"What is?" Ross asked.

"Divorcing, you love divorcing!"

Ross sighed as he defended himself against Phoebe who seemed to enjoy herself making fun of his divorcing record.

After breakfast they all went their septate ways to pack up the last of their stuff.

Rachel opened the door to their hotel-room and plopped down on the bed, a look of disbelieve still etched on her features.

Ross sat down in one of the chairs with his head in his hands as he let out a long sigh.

"Ehm" He said, not really knowing what to say right in this moment. This was seriously messed up.

"I can't believe we're married" Rachel said softly looking down at her hands. She twiddled her thumbs slightly as she mulled it over one more time in her head.

"Yeah me neither, I mean...they should not let you marry when you're that drunk! What were we thinking ?" Ross said with a slight chuckle.

Rachel nodded in agreement.

"When can you get this annulled?" She asked.

"As soon as were home." Ross said standing up. Rachel nodded at that standing up also. Without saying another word they started to clean the rest of the mess and pack their stuff, either occupied with the many thoughts that swam through their minds.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ross tossed and turned in his bed restlessly. A nagging voice inside his head kept plaguing him.  
_  
"Divorcing! that's your thing!" _

With a frustrated sigh he threw the covers off of him and sat up with his head in his hands. His shoulders slumped slightly as he mulled that one sentence in his head over and over again.

He stood up and walked into the living area of his apartment. His mind was in jumbles as he tried to comprehend once again the situation he had landed himself in. He was married.

Again!

And to Rachel no less. He knew it had been a drunken mistake, he knew that it wasn't a real marriage and yet he couldn't help but feel just a little happy about it. How many times before had he imagined being married to the woman of his dreams?

Ross ran his hand through his hair. The more he thought about it the more he wished he could just remember just what happened in Vegas, how did they end up married? But no matter how hard he concentrated, the memories of that night would not come rushing back to him.

And now he had to get it annulled, sure it wasn't a real divorce but Phoebe's words kept coming back to him, haunting him almost giving him a headache in the process. He didn't want to be the guy that divorced three times before he turned thirty! He just couldn't be that guy no matter what. It bruised his already frail ego to know how screwed up his life sounded right about now.

No there had to be another way, maybe he and Rachel could work things out? A small smile formed around his lips as a plan formed in his head. Maybe he could get Rachel to agree on not getting this annulled. He smiled bitterly already knowing that it would be very hard to convince Rachel of that little fact but he had to try.

Meanwhile, Rachel was in her own bed, still awake. Her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone. She was married to Ross! Of course this was not a real marriage, just a drunken mistake but she couldn't help but feel slightly elevated by the mere idea. When they were dating and she had scolded him for making such big plans for the future, she had secretly enjoyed the image he had sketched out before her. She still often thought back to that time and how her life would be if they infact did get married instead of breaking up.

She sighed as she turned to her side hugging her pillow tight. She snuggled into the covers some more, it was chilly in her room and she was only wearing shorts and her favorite t shirt to bed. She closed her eyes briefly as she thought back to the day she had nicked it from Ross' closet after she had slept over at his place. The text was faded much more now but she could still read it clearly.

_'Frankie say relax'_

She chuckled before turning to her back again. One side of her hoped that Ross would get the annulment as soon as possible but other part of her felt sad about that fact and she didn't know why, or maybe she did but she just didn't want to admit it to herself. Letting out another sigh, she closed her eyes tightly hoping and wishing sleep would come to take her away soon.

The next day, she was in Central perk just flipping through a magazine. Ross walked in, a small nervous smile around his lips as he took a seat next to her.

"Hey" He said softly. Rachel looked up from her magazine.

"Hey hubby!" She joked with a chuckle. Ross laughed at that before he sat down next to her. Rachel put the magazine aside.

"Yeah, actually I wanted to talk to you about that whole annulment thing?"

"Uhuh?"

"Yeah I'm not gonna do that." Ross said.

Rachel stared at him not saying a word, she cocked her head to the side slightly before she burst out laughing.

"Okay! So we'll just stay married!" She exclaimed. Ross laughed with her as he nodded.

"Yes exactly."

"And I will make everyone call me Mrs Geller!" Rachel said.

"Wow this is so amazing, I really thought I'd have to talk you into this more." Ross said with a smile.

Rachel stopped laughing at that.

"Okay, see now I'm scared because I don't actually think you're kidding."

Ross gulped at that, he should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

"I'm not kidding. Look I can't have three failed marriages. I can't okay? I am not gonna be that guy!"

"But.." Rachel started but Ross interrupted her.

"No that is not gonna be my thing!"

"So we'll just stay married forever?" Rachel said in disbelieve. She couldn't believe Ross was actually telling her this right now, it did not make sense as he tried to explain to her how it could work. She stopped him for a second.

"Ross stop and think about what you're asking of me." She said.

"I'm asking you to do me a favor." Ross said.

"You're asking me to be your wife." Rachel said putting some extra emphasis on the wife part.

"Yes and as my wife I think you should grant me this favor!" Ross said.

Rachel just threw her hands up in the air. This was going no where.

"I have to go now before I do something I might regret." She said hastily getting up from the couch.

Ross watched her leave, a confused expression on his face.

"Well that didn't go too bad." He said to no one in particular. He drank the last of his root-beer before he too stood up and left Central Perk.

Meanwhile, Rachel was walking back and forth in her room, mulling over the events that had just played out. She couldn't believe Ross wanted to stay married solely because he did not want to be divorced three times! She shook her head trying to clear her mind. This was becoming a mess and she didn't like it. She plopped down on her bed with her head in her hands.

What Ross had to be thinking when he asked her to stay married, she would never know but the idea was so absurd that it almost made her laugh again, just like she had done in Central perk. But the reality of the situation was a whole lot less funny. This had to be dealt with, tomorrow she would have to talk to Ross about this.

Ross stretched out lazily as he got out of bed. He'd had quite a restless night, thinking about all kind of scenarios that could come out of the complicated situation he found himself in and none of those were really appealing to him.

He grabbed a quick breakfast before he headed out, Rachel had called him last night saying she needed to talk to him. Ross couldn't help but getting his hopes up. Maybe she had changed her mind although a small voice in the back of his mind told him it that was probably not true.

Rachel looked up when the door to her apartment opened and Ross stepped in. She stood up to face him.

"Hey, listen I know you wanted to talk to me." Ross started, "but I have an idea that may make you want to stay married. We register and you get to keep all the presents!"

Rachel was about to protest when she suddenly adopted a thoughtful expression on her face. That did sound a little appealing. She shook her head hastily.

"No Ross come on! No listen I've thought a lot about how to tell you this and the bottom line is....we can't stay married." She said.

"I don't know if that's true.." Ross started.

"Oh but it is!" Rachel said.

Ross cleared his throat.

"Okay you know what this is? This is a difference of opinion! And when that happens in a marriage.."

"Ross! This is not a marriage! This is the worlds worst hangover!" Rachel all but yelled as she stood up abruptly. Ross just looked at her for a moment before he looked down. He hated to admit it, but she did have a point there.

"Ross listen, if you do not get this annulment, I will!"

Ross sighed softly before he stood up.

"Alright, I'll do it." With that he walked out of the apartment. Rachel just stared at the door for what seemed like an eternity, she could feel the start of a small headache. She knew she didn't have to, but part of her actually felt a little sad right now and if she had to be totally honest, a little guilty as well. She had begun to remember stuff from their drunken escapade in Vegas and she knew now that this whole marriage thing was kind of her fault. She let out a sigh as she plopped down on the couch, she would have to tell Ross she just didn't know how.

Meanwhile, Ross stood in front of the building where his divorce lawyer was situated. He let out a sigh as he looked up at the tall building. All he could hear in his head was a high-pitched voice that sounded suspiciously a lot like Phoebe's in his head chanting _**'three divorces!'**_ over and over again.

Ross shook his head, no he couldn't do it. He turned away from the building. He would find a way to make this work and until then he wouldn't tell Rachel a thing, he would tell her that he had gotten the annulment.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"_**Well based on what I've heard, you two certainly don't apply for an annulment. If you don't want to be together, you'll have to file for a divorce."**_

Ross let out a frustrated groan as he paced his living room for the umpteenth time that day. He couldn't believe it, now he really would be divorced three times! He felt like such a loser. He sat down on the couch thinking back to all the events that got him in this mess.

Well first there was him marrying Rachel in Vegas which he still couldn't recall clearly. Then came his stupid decision to just not get the annulment when he could and keep it a secret from Rachel. He shivered slightly as he thought back at the day she had stormed into his class, yelling at him in her anger about finding out they were still married. He had felt so embarrassed and shocked. He had wondered how she could have figured it out and when she told him his lawyer had tried to contact him he could slap himself.

Ross let out another sight as he thought back to the courtroom appointment they had. The things Rachel had told the woman in those forms were downright awful and he could not discard the slightly hurt feelings he'd had after hearing all those stupid lies about him. It made him kind of angry even though he thought to himself that he did deserve some of that malice.

He shook his head, this was not getting any better. And to top it off, Phoebe had been annoying and nagging at him about his so called feelings for Rachel which he had denied strongly every time she had brought it up but now he wasn't so sure about anything he felt. Of course he still cared for her, he would always do so but lately he had actually began to see that there was a sliver of truth in Phoebe's taunting and that scared him.

He stood up and put on his jacket, Rachel would be here soon to get her things. She had been so close to moving in with him, now all of that was down the drain as well. He didn't want to be here when she arrived so he figured he might as well get to his lawyer to get the divorce papers so that they could get this over with.

Later that day, Rachel stepped into Ross' apartment only to find it deserted and empty. She frowned at that, she had expected him to be there. She put her coat and bag on the couch before she grabbed one of the empty boxes to get her stuff re-packed.

She frowned while doing her task. She was so angry at Ross right now. She could not comprehend what had made him think that hiding the fact that they were still married from could mean for him. What had he been thinking? She stopped packing for a moment when she thought back at the moment she had answered the phone for him and had found out. It had been such a surreal moment, she hadn't believed her ears. She had been completely stunned before anger had taken over and she had stormed out of the apartment. She remembered yelling at Ross in front of all of his students, right in that moment she hadn't cared who heard her but now she did feel a little embarrassed.

She frowned sadly as she recalled the events in the courtroom. She did write some nasty stuff on those forms, it had been a spur of the moment kind of thing when she had filled them out. He anger had taken over. Now she actually did regret everything she wrote, she wondered if he had been hurt by her words. She would apologize to him about that, she had just said all those things out of spite. She wasn't proud of it even though it may have seemed that way at first.

She let out a sigh as she grabbed another box. She would move in with Phoebe now. Part of her was relieved for that matter but the other part of her actually felt sad she had to go. She really thought that living with Ross could have been fun.

The door opened to reveal Ross who was holding his briefcase in his hand.

"Oh honey, thank God you're home, I was getting worried." Rachel mocked in greeting.

"I picked up the divorce papers, I have already signed everything and I put little X's where you should sign." Ross said taking the forms out his case before sitting down next to her on the couch.

"Oh little X's! Great! That makes up for everything." Rachel said.

Ross felt himself get angry at that statement, this was hard enough without her mocking him like that. He stood up from the couch.

"You know, you did a lot of stupid stuff too okay?" He said.

"Name one stupid thing that is as stupid as this one?" Rachel said defensive.

"Okay how about you flew to London to stop my wedding or how about you told me you loved me after I was already married?"

"Hey wait a minute!" Rachel countered as she stood up too.

"That was different. I did those things because I was in love with you!"

"Yeah right!"Ross said before he could stop the words, he composed himself slightly as he continued in a much softer tone.

"You're right, that's very different...so let's just sign the papers."

Rachel stared at him not believing her ears. Did he just admit that he loved her? That he.. no that couldn't be right. She didn't know what to think or do for that matter. Ross looked up at her as she still stood next ton the couch motionless.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing." Rachel said softly while she took a seat next to him again.

"Okay then can we just sign please?" Ross said handing her the forms. Rachel placed the tip of the pen on the paper to sign her name. When she was done, Ross forcefully grabbed the paper before giving her the next form. Rachel just gave him a look at that. She could see he was angry but she couldn't really find the reason why.

"Congratulations." Ross said taking the signed forms and standing up. Now it was final, he would be divorced yet again. He loathed himself in that moment.

Rachel watched him get up, a sinking feeling took a hold of her as guilt began to surface yet again. She needed to apologize and now seemed to be the right time.

"Ross wait."

Ross turned around to face her wondering what she wanted to say now, he only wanted to get away from her as fast as he could.

"I kind of have a little confession to make." Rachel said softly. That got his interest as he looked at her expectantly, wanting for her to finish her statement.

"What?" He asked.

"Uh well you know this whole marriage thing?" Rachel said nervously. "Kinda my idea." she confessed. She looked at him for any kind of reaction, Ross just looked at her for a moment before he shook his head lightly.

"Excuse me?"

"Well remember how we were too drunk to remember anything the night we were married?"

"Yeah."

"And I didn't want to say anything but it kept coming back to me and uhm remember we were in the casino and for some reason you thought it would be funny to eat a lot of grapes." Rachel started.

Ross raised his brow at that.

"And uhm I thought it would be funnier if we would get married, so as a compromise we decided to first get married and then to..."

"Eat a lot of grapes." Ross said finishing her sentence with her.

"So uhm sorry I got us into this whole thing" Rachel said softly looking down.

"So if you think about it, this is all your fault!" Ross said.

'Yeah don't push it though!" Rachel warned him.

Ross shook his head, " I gotta say, I know I divorced a lot of women but I never thought I'd be divorcing you."

"I know, I always thought if you and I got married, that would be the one that stuck." Rachel said in agreement.

'And it wouldn't be a secret, and we wouldn't have our wedding dinner at pizza hut!"

Ross laughed at that.

"Did I even treat?"

"No it was on the house, it was a Newlywed special."

"That may be the most depressing thing I've heard in my life." Ross said.

"Well I should probably get these to my lawyers office." He said tapping the briefcase he was holding. He was about to walk away but Rachel stopped him.

"Hey thanks Ross, for taking care of all this." She said sincerely.

"Nah, no problem."

Rachel swallowed the small lump in her throat as she reached out to him and hugged him around the waist. She closed her eyes briefly when she felt him wrap his arms around her and kiss her hair lightly. She bit her lip for a moment as she squeezed him into her some more.

"I owe you another apology." She said breaking away from the hug just enough so she could look him in the eyes.

"What for?" Ross wondered surprised.

"For writing all those horrible things about you, I don't know what I was thinking. I mean I was so angry at you that I let it blind my judgment and that's not good." Rachel said softly locking her eyes with his.

Ross smiled down at her slightly.

"Forget about it, you had every right to be mad. Sure I didn't like to hear all that and it actually did hurt me a little but no hard feelings okay?" He said.

Rachel nodded.

'Thank you." She whispered.

"About earlier when I told you, I did all those stupid things because I loved you and you said right, Ross what did it mean? I mean are you....in that place?" Rachel asked suddenly, she just had to know.

Ross swallowed thickly, he hadn't expect for her to ask that and to be truthful, he himself did not know the answer to it fully yet. Phoebe had confused him greatly with all her innuendo's and now he was as confused as ever.

"I don't know." He answered.

Rachel nodded in understanding. She stared up at him for a few moments before she made her decision.

Standing up on the tip of her toes, she pressed a light lingering kiss to his mouth. Ross' eyes widened at the soft and quick contact.

"I don't know myself either, I keep telling myself I do but I don't" She whispered snuggling into his arms again.

Ross squeezed her into himself for a moment.

"So?"

Rachel chuckled as she let go of him.

"So as long as we both aren't sure about us, I'll need to have a copy of those forms" She said with a chuckle. Ross smiled at her.

"Totally!" He said before walking out of the door.

END of the Vegas eisodes


	24. Hurt and Vulerable

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**22; Hurt and Vulnerable.**

**A/n: ****Welcome to the next chapter of LGOL. This is one that I have been dying to write out. And now the time has come. This chapter deals with the episode TOW Ross is Fine. This chapter is Angsty and dramatic.**

**A warning in advance, some of you are not going to like this chapter, I'm almost sure of it. I have twisted the events of that episode to my hand because I feel it should have been this way. It gives great pleasure to be able to alter certain things in this chapter.**

**This one is dedicated to my dear Crissy, who I know has been looking forward to this one as much as me and shares a lot of my views on the Ross is fine episode. Thanks Deary, you're a great inspiration! **

**Enjoy!**

_**These are parts of the lyrics of the song that gave me great inspiration for this chapter.**_

_**I loved you, you made me, hate me. You gave me, hate, see?**_

_**It saved me and these tears are deadly. **_

_**And its true I  
hurt too.**_

_**I wish I could have quit you. I wish I never missed you.**_

_**I've , Lost it all, fell today, It's all the same  
I'm sorry oh  
I'm sorry no.**_

_**Seems like all we**__** had,**__** is over now..**_

_**~My Black Dahlia by Hollywood Undead.**_

~*~*~*~*~*~

He could only stand there, not one coherent thought seemed to form in his mind as he witnessed the scene that unfolded before his very eyes. A shock went through his whole being, a burning sensation took a hold of his chest as it constricted heavily while he stared at the two people that were in front of him. He wanted to speak but he couldn't find the words he needed and push them through his dry throat.

They seemed to be equally shocked to see him standing in the doorway, he could read it in their dumbfounded expressions. His eyes lingered on both of them for a moment longer, he could tell they were trying to say something, come up with an excuse for this strange and awkward moment. They hurriedly stepped apart from each other while throwing him almost sympathetic looks.

Joey scratched the back of his head softly while looking down at his feet for a moment. He didn't know what he had to do now, the situation he got himself in this time seemed almost surreal.

Rachel bit her bottom lip as she hesitantly plucked at the hem of her shirt, avoiding the brown eyes that were intensely looking at her from the doorway. She didn't know why exactly but his piercing eyes made her feel really uncomfortable and that thought surprised her. Since when was she uncomfortable around Ross of all people? Her facial expression dropped as she remembered the awkward moment in the hallways of the Barbados hotel.

Right that's when.

She looked down on her feet as she heard Joey scratch his throat and start to talk in jumbles, trying to explain the situation to Ross.

"O..okay Ross, I know you didn't expect to walk in and see that but eh.....let me explain.."

"We weren't doing anything!" Rachel suddenly yelled out.

"Rachel he just saw us!" Joey said matter of factly but she just shushed him.

Joey turned back to face Ross who was still looking at them with a confused expression on his face.

"But what you saw, t..that is the extend of it okay? One kiss that is all!" He said taking a cautious step towards his friend.

"What? No come on that is a lie! We also kissed in Barbados!" Rachel blurted out.

"Dude chill!" Joey almost yelled at her, he could understand why she was acting the way she was but still, he didn't want to make things worse then they already were. He turned his attention back to Ross.

"Okay we also kissed in Barbados but we didn't plan it and the only reason that happened was because I saw you kissing Charlie."

"Yeah you started it!" Rachel said suddenly, Joey just gave her a look.

"I've got to chill!" She said burying her face in her hands for a moment.

Ross just looked from one to another as he tried to process all that happened so far.

"Look we probably should have talked to you before it ever happened but..." Joey sighed deeply while Rachel took a step forward.

"Oh we feel so terrible about this Ross." She said with a slight frown on her face.

"Yeah." Joey agreed, "But it did happen so.."

Ross looked away from them, his mind was in jumbles right now as he tried to comprehend what exactly was going on. A burning sensation coursed through his chest, gripping his heart tightly as he swallowed slightly. He felt....he didn't know what exactly he felt, he was hurt, surprised shocked, his emotions were mixed up right now.

"Ross?" Joey asked softly. He switched his gaze back to them still not saying a word before he looked away from them again just staring off in space. Rachel took the few steps towards him and observed him.

"Ross?" She too called out his name to no avail. She turned back to Joey.

"Can't we just close the door?" She asked.

For a minute they just stared at him, wondering just what was going through his mind at the moment until Rachel couldn't take it anymore.

"Ross say something....anything!" She pleaded.

"So you two are...together?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." They both answered simultaneously.

"And have you...had.." Ross asked not looking at them.

"No!" They both said immediately.

"But If I hadn't walked in here, would you?" Rachel couldn't help but hear the slight sharp etch to his voice.

"Probably." Joey said before he realized his mistake. "I mean No! Noo we wouldn't!"

Rachel pinned him with a look before she turned to face Ross.

"Ross this is not how we wanted for you to find out about this, you have every right to go nuts.." But Ross interjected her.

"I'm not going nuts! Do you see me going nuts?" He said. His voice was slightly squeaking.

"No but you know what I mean."

"Hey hey hey..." Ross chuckled worthlessly as he tried to come up with something witty to say.

"If you two are happy, then I'm happy for you." His voice was getting higher with every word and he cursed himself silently for it.

"I'm fine!" He said.

"Really?" Joey asked with a frown.

"Absolutely, I'm fine! Totally fine!" He squeaked.

"I don't know why it's coming out all loud and squeaky because really I'm.." he paused to lower his voice somewhat. "I'm fine!"

"I'm not saying I wasn't a little surprised to see you guys kissing. I mean at first I was like AAAAH!" He suddenly yelled clamping his hands over his ears and shocking both Rachel and Joey with his sudden actions.

"But now that I have had time to absorb it, loving this!" He said pointing his fingers at them and smiling goofy as he nodded his head at them. Joey started to call his name but he interrupted him.

"No think about it, it's all working out! Me and Charlie and you two!" He said pointing at them again.

"You know what we should do???!!" he said suddenly taking a few steps towards them causing them to take a few steps backwards.

"Calm ourselves?" Rachel answered.

"No, we should all have dinner! Yes, we'll do it tomorrow night1 I'll cook!" Ross finished.

"Uhm don't you think that will be a little weird?" Joey asked.

"Weird? Why, what's weird huh? The only thing weird would be if someone didn't like Mexican food because I'm making Fajitas!" with that he turned away from them and walked out of the door. He didn't even say goodby to his daughter who was sound asleep in her buggy.

He cursed himself for letting his anger slip out in that last sentence as he hurriedly made his way downstairs. He walked out of the door into the crisp early evening air, his thoughts were swirling in his head as he crossed the short distance to his own building.

He walked up the stairs to his apartment and stepped in. Throwing his keys carelessly on the couch, he made his way over to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

He drank the water slowly as he gathered his thoughts once more. His chest constricted when he thought back at the kiss he had witnessed.

What were they thinking? What was he thinking? Why did it hurt so much seeing those two kissing? He wasn't with Rachel, they hadn't been together in years so why did it sting? Why were his eyes wet, silent tears escaping them as he bowed his head in defeat.

"I shouldn't feel this way." He said softly to himself as he took a few deep breaths to calm down. He angrily wiped at his eyes as he made his way over to his bedroom. He cast a glance at his reflection.

"Stop spilling your tears over them" He said firmly as he gazed at his other self in the clear glass.

"They're not worth it." He slammed his fist down on his dresser as waves of anger came over him at once. The same agonizing anger that had gnawed at his conscious while he was standing in that fated door opening.

He leaned on his hands as he observed his angered expression, it frightened him a bit but he didn't care. He had been hurt one too many times, this had been the last straw. He slapped his forehead thinking back to his inviting words. Great now he actually had to have dinner with them, what a foolish action that was of him. He clenched his fists. He didn't know why he felt so angry at the moment, sure it had to do with that kiss but thinking on it he realized his anger was rooted way deeper within him then that. He sighed as he plopped down on his bed resting against the headboard. He thought back on the times he had spend with Rachel. Those thoughts usually had a calming effect on him but not today.

Today those thoughts just made him more mad at himself for being such a fool to let her hurt him over and over again. He chuckled softly to himself, that sounded pathetic yet it was the truth.

And he had enough of it, he wouldn't take it anymore, it was over. Just the mere thought of having to see them when they would come over for dinner sickened him. Part of him wondered just where all the hatred came from he suddenly felt, he shocked himself with his angry thoughts and yet he couldn't care less. It was time he'd think of himself for once instead of wasting his time and energy on them.

On her.

He closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth, didn't she know how her actions had hurt him so very deeply? He shook his head, she probably already forgot about that, too busy making out with Joey.

Ross let out a disgusted snarl as he hurled his pillow at the opposite wall. He felt like a child the way he was behaving right now but he didn't care as he took another pillow which followed the first one. He needed to vent his anger before it would envelop him completely. He grabbed a photo frame from his dresser as he stood up. It was a photo taken a long time ago consisting of him Monica and Rachel in his sisters apartment. Rachel and he were hugging affectionately, he'd always saved the picture for it had sentimental value to him.

A sad smile came onto his feature before it was replaced by a tight lipped grin as he smashed the photo against the wall, the glass picture frame fell to a hundredth [pieces onto his floor. Watching it crumble he let out a satisfied sigh, he already felt a little better.

He walked over to the couch, he'd clean the mess later now he just wanted to relax and watch some discovery channel. But it seemed as if everything was against him for he was startled by a knock on the door. He sighed opening it to reveal Chandler.

"Hey man, I heard what happened, came to see how you were." He said with a slight smile. Ross let him in, he could always count on Chandler to be here for him when he needed it the most. He was most certainly glad they had stayed such good friends after college, heck he was his brother in law now.

"Brought some beers." Chandler said holding up a six pack.

Ross chuckled at that as he accepted a can from his friend while sitting down next to him on the couch.

"You know, I'd expected for your apartment to be a mess by now, I'm actually disappointed to see nothing out of place!" Chandler said semi shocked.

"Bedroom." Ross said not looking at him. Chandler nodded in understanding.

They fell into a comfortable silence.

"So..how are you feeling?" Chandler asked carefully. He watched the slight frown that settled over Ross' face.

"Could be better." He answered.

"Did you really walk in on them.."

"Kissing? Yeah." Ross said as he placed his can on the table, beer didn't taste so well right now.

"I'm sorry man."

"Yeah me too, for feeling so upset about it. They should do what they want, I stopped caring." Ross said coldly. Chandler frowned at him. He didn't like the coldness he sensed in his friend one bit.

"You don't mean that...do you?" He asked.

"Yes I do, I don't even know why I held on to the hope of me and Rachel ever getting back together. She moved on a long time ago, something I should have done too, it would have prevented me from getting hurt over and over again. I'm sick of it." Ross sighed deeply as he stared at the window. He could see Monica bustling around her kitchen, probably cooking.

"Are you saying you agree with this?"

"What else is there to say Chandler? I can't forbid Rachel to see Joey, if they want each other let them at it. I'm with Charlie now, she's good for me. We have a great time." Ross trailed off. Chandler didn't miss the slight tremble in his voice. He closed his eyes for a moment.

"You know what hurts me the most? That it's Joey. After that whole proposing fiasco after Emma was born, I was certain it was over, his crush on Rachel I mean. I would never had thought he'd stab me in the back like this because that is how this feels. And maybe I have no right to talk like this but it's just the way I feel and I don't care." Ross turned to face Chandler.

"I invited them over for dinner, I'm fine with it and I'll prove it." He said more to himself then Chandler actually.

Chandler just nodded at him before getting up.

"Talking about dinner, wanna join us?" He asked but Ross waved his question away.

"No thanks, I feel like hanging out alone for a bit." He said. Chandler gave him a gentle shoulder squeeze before he took off.

"Hang in there, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" He joked before closing the door behind him. Ross chuckled, Chandler always managed to calm him or cheer him up with his words. He turned the TV off and decided to just crawl into bed. He was tired still from the flight home and he didn't feel like doing anything else at the moment. He grabbed a hot shower before changing in some sleeping gear. He carefully cleared the glass from the floor and threw it in the trash. He put the photo in his sock drawer.

Taking his pillows back to the bed, he turned of the lights and snuggled under the covers. He would figure out how to get through that dreaded dinner later.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Ross checked everything in the kitchen. Everything was ready for the nice dinner he would have with his girlfriend and two of his so called friends. The mere idea alone disgusted him to say the least but for tonight he would bear it. Just tonight he would hide his real emotions behind a mask.

He put the fajitas on top the stove, they would go in to the oven soon. His doorbell rang. He plastered a smile on his face and went to open the door. He was greeted by Charlie.

"Hey." She said as she stepped in.

"Hey." Ross greeted her back.

"You're early." He noted.

"Yeah." Charlie said as she sat down on the couch. She took the small glass of wine from him as he offered it to her.

"So what are we having? To be honest I am a little hungry, work was so hectic I barely had time to eat!"

"Mexican." Ross said with a small smile as he observed her.

"That sounds good." She countered. She set her glass down and scooted closer to him.

"I missed you today." She said teasingly.

"Oh really?" Ross said with a slight chuckle but before they had a chance to kiss, there were noises in the hallway.

"I think that's them." Charlie said.

"Yep, can you open the door, I'm gonna put the fajita's in the oven." Ross said walking away.

"Sure." She opened the door to reveal Joey and Rachel, they looked a bit nervous.

"Dreading this?" She whispered softly.

"You bet." Rachel said. Charlie stepped aside so they could walk in and closed the door behind them.

"Ah I thought I heard voices!" Ross said cheerful as he came back into the living room.

He walked up to Joey and Rachel with outstretched arms.

"Hey Joey!" he said giving him a jovial hug.

"And uh.." Rachel stuck her hand out towards him but he ignored it, instead he turned to Joey.

"Oh you have to introduce me to your new girlfriend!" His voice was starting to squeak again as he started laughing softly.

"Just kidding, I know Rachel." He said quickly shaking her hand and letting go. He motioned for them to sit down.

"Okay well ehm we brought you some wine." Rachel said.

"Oh that is so thoughtful!" Ross countered as he took the bottle from her.

"She's a keeper huh?" he said to Joey with a funny expression on his face before he noticed the small red bag he was carrying.

"Oh and what did you bring me?" He said grabbing it from Joey's hands.

"Eh actually that's eh.." Joey trailed off.

"Underwear, a toothbrush and a Van Halen CD! I can use all these things!" He said happily.

"Gosh Ross, you seem a little ehm.." Charlie started before she was interrupted.

"What fine? Cuz I am! Are you...or you...who who else is fine?!" he said raising his hand in the air.

Joey couldn't help the chuckles that escaped him before he sculpted his face into a more serious expression.

"Listen Ross, why don't you just try to relax? Okay maybe have a drink."

"Ah you know what, that is a very good idea! I'm going to make a pitcher of margarita's." He said before doing a little hop. Then he hurriedly disappeared to the kitchen.

The smile vanished once he was alone. He grabbed the ingredients he needed and proceeded to prepare the drinks. He frowned at himself, his heart was racing. He hated the effect they had on him, it hurt seeing them coming in together seeming all happy go lucky like. A small pang of jealousy erupted in his chest but he ignored it, there was no reason to be jealous. He just hoped he could keep up the facade long enough.

A little while later they were all on the couch as Ross poured in some margaritas, well he filled his own glass mostly.

"You know that first batch of Margarita's was not so nice but the second batch is gooooood!" He said.

"Well maybe the next batch we could all get some!" Rachel reacted. Ross noticed the slight annoyed look on her face, he silently enjoyed it. It was actually becoming quite fun to play pretend, his facade hadn't cracked yet. He wasn't really drunk since had been drinking virgin margarita's all evening, making sure no one else got some and found out.

"Oh God this is fun isn't it? You know just the four of us hangin'. " He said with a goofy smile.

"Dude, are you okay?" Joey said, Ross was behaving really strange now and he didn't know what to make of it.

"And when are the fajita's going to be ready?" He finished.

"Im fine! Okay, I'm great! I'm just proud of us you know? There is no weirdness, no tension."

"No awareness." Rachel added in a bored tone.

But Ross ignored her, " You know we make a great foursome, we should do more stuff together! Yeah OH! Let's take a trip!!" He said clapping his hands almost giddily.

"We could all go on your boat!" He said looking at Joey before he turned to Charlie.

"Joey has this amaaahzing sailboat."

"Actually Ross, I sold the boat two years ago." Joey said.

"Oh no , idiot!"

Joey shared a short look with Rachel.

"Well yeah but I could always get another one. I mean that trip sounds great!"

"Yeah? Okay so where do you think we we we can go?" Ross asked but he was interrupted by a bell like sound from the kitchen.

"My Fajitas!" he almost yelled quickly getting up from the couch. He entered the kitchen and took the food from the oven. He could hear his guests talking in the living room but he didn't care for their words.

"This is tiring." he muttered. He just wanted this night to be over with. He placed the fajitas in a new pan, it felt just a little warm now but there was a lot of damp coming from the food.

"Here we go again, just a little bit longer Geller, you can do it!"

He quickly stepped in the room yelling about hot fajitas as he hastily put them down. The pan had gathered some more heat and he actually did burn himself a little because of it.

"Ross you don't even have oven mitts on!" Rachel said shocked.

He laughed at that. "Oh that is going to hurt tomorrow!" He passed the fajita's around.

"Have a nice meal!" He said with a smile. They all started to eat. Ross went back to the kitchen to make another batch of drinks. This time he did use alcohol in it and served some to the others. Then he stood up clearing his throat.

"Everybody! I would like to make a toast." He started as he lifted his glass. They all lifted their glass at him.

"To Rachel and Joey." Rachel put her glass down assuming he was done but she was wrong.

"Aaaaaaah love." Ross continued, "L.O.V.E loooveah." He made a funny expression with his face while he thought about his next words.

"L is for live, and what is live without love?" he asked.

"Oh my God are we supposed to answer?" Rachel wondered out loud.

"O is for OH WOW! The V is for this very surprising turn of events which by the way I'm still fine with even though some people don't care about others feelings, which is sad actually." He said looking Rachel and Joey straight in the eyes but with a goofy grin on his face. He could see by their facial reactions that his words had landed their mark.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee is for how extremely normal I find it that you two are together, I should have seen it coming when Joey proposed to you Rachel, why didn't I see it? But anyway one day you might get married, and have children of your own."

After that the room went silent. Ross cursed inwards as he felt his resolve weaken. He thought he didn't care anymore, he even told Chandler that very same thing but now, standing here in front of them, talking about a possible future that could lie ahead of them, he wasn't so sure. He felt a familiar stinging at the corner of his eyes. He bowed his head down, not wanting the rest to see the tears that threatened to spill over.

"Ross, are you okay?" Joey asked concerned. He had asked that question a million times tonight but he couldn't help but asking it again.

"Totally." Ross said, his voice was cracking.

"Ross you don't seem okay." Rachel said.

"I'm sorry it must be the pressure of entertaining." He said shielding his eyes with his hands.

"I think I would feel better if you all just leave." he suddenly said looking up at them, not caring that his tears were showing. The facade had broken, the laughter in his heart died down. Rachel was shocked at the almost broken expression on his face.

"Ross.." She said reaching out to him but he stepped away from her.

"Don't!" He said before disappearing into the kitchen.

"You know the way out don't you?" He said before closing the door behind him. Rachel Joey and Charlie shared a look.

"Well that was pleasant." Charlie said.

"What should we do?"

"We should leave." Joey answered Rachel's question.

"I think he needs some time alone to absorb all of this." Rachel agreed with him as she grabbed her coat. She looked at the closed kitchen door wondering what Ross was doing now. She made up her mind, she would talk to him in the morning.

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to stay here to see how he is doing." Charlie said. She let them out and closed the door behind them She carefully made her way over to the kitchen and knocked on the door.

"Ross? Are you alright?" she asked through the door. It opened to reveal Ross, he had a downcast expression on his face.

"I'm fine thanks, I just want to be alone." Charlie nodded in understanding before she gave him a tight hug

"Alright, I'll give you a call in the morning okay?" She kissed his cheek before she took off.

Ross tiredly stripped his outer clothes and laid down on the bed with his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes. Tonight had been a disaster he hated the fact that his facade had cracked. He turned to his side just staring ahead of him. He had to face reality and he knew it but that didn't mean he had to accept it right away. He let out a long sigh, the next few days would be awkward he already knew it.

The next morning, Rachel woke up and stretched out. She sat up hugging her pillow to her chest when she though back at the events that had played out the previous night. She quickly got up out of bed. She would talk to him as soon as she could.

Ross was bustling around in the kitchen, fixing some tea and toast when the doorbell rang. He looked at the clock, it was 10 am still early. He wondered who could come at his door that early. Probably Chandler.

He opened the door only to come face to face with Rachel.

"Morning." She greeted him softly.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he looked down on her with piercing eyes. Rachel felt uncomfortable but shook it off.

"Well that is a nice way to greet some one!" She said mock offended. "Can I come in?"

"Why?" Ross asked.

Rachel let out a small frustrated sigh.

"You know why Ross, we need to talk." she countered.

Ross didn't know what to feel as he looked at her. Why was she here? To talk yeah but about what? He didn't feel like talking about her and Joey in the slightest. He felt anger rise up inside of him but he suppressed it.

"There is no need for talking." He said icily, Rachel was taken aback by the coldness in his voice. He stepped away from the doorway.

Rachel watched him walk over to the big window, she stepped in as well softly closing the door behind her.

"Yes there is." She said softly.

"No there isn't." Ross said not facing her.

"I don't want to talk to you, I don't want you to be here standing in front of me, coming up with some kind of story just to ease your own mind. I want you to leave." His voice sounded strange in his own ears.

She was speechless for a moment when he faced her.

"There is nothing left to discuss, you're with Joey now and I wish you all the happiness in the world just leave me out of it." He sneered.

"I knew you weren't fine with it, why did you keep denying it?" She asked staring defiantly up in his eyes.

"Because I was still stupid enough to take your feelings in regard, stupid enough not wanting to hurt you while you keep hurting me. I've had enough of it, I'm not doing this anymore." Ross said as anger seethed at him. Just the mere fact that she was standing across from him made him want to flee the room before he did something he would regret.

"Why are you so upset anyway, it's not like me and you are together or anything?" Rachel asked loudly, she didn't get it. They weren't together, hadn't been together since who knows how many years and yet here he was acting as if....well she didn't know but she didn't understand it.

Ross just gave her an incredulous look.

"I can't believe this, you're so selfish Rach. Can't you see why this is hurting me so much? Very well I'll explain it to you. I feel betrayed by you two, you went and did this behind my back and look how I had to find out?! Do you think it was fun seeing the image of you kissing Joey? Well do you? You don't understand anything." Ross turned away from her clenching his fists.

"We didn't mean for you to find out this way, we tried to tell you." Rachel said frowning heavily.

"And why do you say we betrayed you, we are adults Ross, we can decide who we go out with, I can decide who I go out with , you have nothing to do with it!" She said getting angry herself.

"See you don't understand. I don't care who you or any one else goes out with, but the fact that one of my best friends and my ex are fooling around even though so called best friend had promised me not to act on his feeling towards you , and after that proposing fiasco, that is what hurts me the most. The fact that you couldn't be honest with me and tell me to my face. You say you tried but you didn't hard enough then because if you really wanted too, you'd find a way." Ross finished.

Rachel swallowed as she took in his words.

"Ross, we didn't want to hurt you, this was hard on us too." She said softly. But Ross shook his head at her.

"Leave the excuses for someone who wants to hear them, don't waste them on me. It's no use." He said facing her again.

"I blame myself for most of this though, I was stupid enough to harbor hope for us, stupid enough to believe in a shaky fairytale that never excised in the first place. I'm hurt, you won't be able to take it away with apologies or pretty words this time Rachel, it doesn't work that way, not anymore." Ross walked past her and opened the door.

"There is nothing more left to discuss, get out!" He said calmly.

Rachel turned to face him, there were tears in her eyes. She had never seen Ross this angry it scared her. To think that she was part to blame for this made her feel even worse.

"No, not until we talk this out."

"Fine, I'll leave then." Ross said not wanting to spend another minute in her presence.

He grabbed his coat but Rachel stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"You're not being fair, you know I am not the only one at fault here as you say so nicely." She said softly as she looked into his brown eyes. They were void of any emotion which gave her the chills.

"I know but right now I don't know what I will do if I walk into Joey, now let me go. I'm done here, I'm done with you. I don't feel like talking to you anymore, leave me alone, I need to let all of this sink in. Have a happy life with Joey." He said shaking his arm free. He turned away from her and walked out of the apartment, Rachel stared at him with tears streaming down her face.

"Dammit!" she cursed softly as she sunk down to the floor.

Ross was walking without a clear destination in his mind, he only knew he had to get out of there. He calmed down a little as he entered Central Park. He sat on one of the wooden benched with his head in his hands.

That confrontation with Rachel had been harsh, part of him already regretted being so cruel to her but he tried to ignore it. He would avoid both of them for a couple of days to let it sink in.

He let out a sad sigh as he watched the clouds drift by lazily.

"What a mess....." He said softly to no one in particular.

END!


	25. Truce?

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**22.B; Truce? **

**A/N; ****This is the continuation of LGOL 22 Hurt and Vulnerable! I separated the chapters so that they make more sense and so that it won't be a huge read because well I tend to write long-ish chapters. And this one is NO exception to that rule _.**

**Finally an update huh? Gee I'm really sorry you guys. I will make sure the next update will not take so long! Also in this one, that follows the events and storyline in TOW Ross' Tan, I did not include much episode material, I didn't find it necessary. Also I do not know how long JnR actually dated so I made it almost 4 weeks, bear with it please.**

**And if you'll excuse me now, I will go in hiding because some people are going to want to kill me rather painfully and slowly I reckon after reading this chapter. 'runs and hides'**

He slowly got up from his bed, not feeling all to happy to be awake at this early hour. It was still dark outside and one look at his clock told him it was merely 3 AM. Letting out a frustrated groan he walked over to the living-room and turned on the TV. Maybe some Discovery Channel would help him relax enough to catch some more sleep. But it was futile really for his thoughts kept straying back to one subject and one only.

Rachel was with Joey. And had been for almost four weeks now.

His heart pumped loudly in his ears it seemed as a chill worked its way down his spine. He gritted his teeth. He hated himself for getting so worked up over them. He hadn't seen them much the past weeks. And that was only because he made sure not to run in either one of them. Joey was fairly easy to ignore but Rachel was a different story. For one, there was a factor in their lives that bound them together and that was Emma, their daughter. And tomorrow he would pick her up to go to the park and visit his parents. He'd picked her up several times since Joey and Rachel started dating and he had managed to keep his cool so far but he could tell it was getting harder and harder.

Especially since Rachel seem to act like nothing happened between them, like her and Joey dating didn't affect him anymore for she always tried to start up a casual conversation but also trying to talk about her and Joey, wanting to find out what he really thought of them. He didn't say a word to her during those short visits to get Emma, he didn't feel like it plus he definitely didn't want to discuss her new relationship with her.

But that didn't make the situation any easier on him. Whenever he saw both of them together, he felt like ripping his heart out. He smirked at the rather morbid thought yet he scared himself thinking those exact thoughts as well. He had changed, he wondered if the others noticed.

Well Monica certainly did for she asked him about it but he had assured her that he just needed some time to get used to the new situation. He didn't tell her that he probably wouldn't ever do that. It was just too painful to see them together. Too painful to know that he had been stabbed in the back by one of his best friends. Too painful to think that he always thought that he and Rachel still had a chance at happiness. No, all of that had crumbled ever since he had found out about their relationship.

He walked towards the bathroom and caught his reflection in the mirror. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, his skin was a dark brown color courtesy of the tanning booth. He couldn't believe he had been sprayed so much and only on his front How stupid was that. He was smarter then that. It had been the machine's fault.

Ross shook his head letting out a chuckle. His thoughts were not making any sense which was no wonder seeing as how late it was or early depending on how you looked at it.

He vaguely wondered when the ridiculous tan would fade and what Chandler would do with the picture he managed to snap of him when he had tricked him in opening the door.

Ross turned the TV off and made his way back to his bed. Getting under the covers, he rested his hands behind his head and just observed the ceiling. He doubted he would get much sleep. A small smile worked its way onto his face when he though of Emma, he would be spending the day with her tomorrow. Turning to his side, he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, totally unaware of a rather surprising event that had taken place just across the street, he finally fell asleep.

Rachel tossed and turned in her sleep, she was sweaty and warm as she let out a frustrated sigh and turned the bedside lamp on.

"Ugh come on!" She groaned as she sat back against the headboard of her bed. She glanced over to Emma who was sound asleep in her crib, totally obvious to her mothers discomfort.

Rachel lifted her knees up curling her arms around them while resting her chin on them. Letting out a long sigh she closed her eyes as she remembered the events of that night.

She and Joey had broken up. She didn't know how to feel about it, part of her was relieved really. It had just been to awkward for them, especially when they had tried to take their relationship to the next level. She cringed visibly when she thought about the desperate measures they had taken to make it happen. Right now she could slap herself in the forehead for behaving so...juvenile because that is what it was.

She shook her head slightly, she even felt a slight trace of shame. But she knew she wasn't the only one feeling that way now though she suspected Joey was already sound asleep, haven forgotten about their frantic quest to sleep together. She wondered if he still hurt though, she had kneed him pretty hard in his privates, she hadn't meant to do so it had just happened in their 'enthusiasm'.

Her thoughts drifted off to Ross while she was observing the steady rise and fall of her daughters chest. Tomorrow he would come to pick her up. She wondered if she should tell him the news, there was no doubt in her mind that Ross would be happy that she was no longer with Joey, he would probably stop trying to ignore and avoid her if he knew.

But a persistent little voice in her head told her otherwise, she just knew that this time things wouldn't be solved so easy. He had never ignored her like this which indicated that he really was upset by her, that she had hurt him more then she ever thought she would. Even after their disastrous break-up it hadn't been so bad as it was now, at least then they bickered, now she hadn't spoken to him in weeks, only the necessary stuff when he came to pick Emma up.

She gulped, she had come to miss him. Miss his presence near her, just now she realized how much she really took him for granted. She missed his gentle voice, his laughter and just everything about him that made him so uniquely Ross-like. The Ross they saw now was but a mere shell of his former self, She definitely didn't like the coldness she saw in his eyes whenever she had the change to catch a glimpse of him and she didn't like the way he was able to avoid her. She vaguely wondered just how he did it.

Though she had seen him earlier today when he had been exiting Monica and Chandlers apartment. She had been shocked to say the least about his appearance. She had joked about him being miss Hawaiian tropic and he had replied quite shortly at her before he left immediately.

Rachel let out another sigh as she turned her lamp off, she would see what the morning would bring.

* * *

Ross knocked on the door of Joey's apartment, he was here and ready to go out with Emma. He looked forward to spending some time with his little girl. The door opened and revealed Rachel who silently stepped back to let him in.

"Is Emma ready?" Ross asked as he followed her in.

"Yeah, I just need to put her jacket on." Rachel said as she grabbed the jacket from the counter.

Ross looked around the apartment, he felt uneasy. He wanted to get out of there as soon as he could. Rachel observed him from the corner of her eyes while she was helping Emma in her jacket. She could see he was tense and avoided looking at her. His mouth was tightly shut in a straight line. She let out an inward sigh.

"So how have you been Ross? I mean I haven't seen you around a lot lately." Rachel asked trying to start some sort of conversation. She could not stand the silence and awkward tension between them.

But Ross didn't answer her, instead he shot her a look that made her swallow thickly as she put Emma in her stroller.

Ross walked over to the stroller and crouched down cooing at Emma.

"You're ready to go sweetie? We're going to have so much fun at the park today and later you will see you grangran!" He said softly kissing her forehead. The small girl giggled at his antics.

"She'll be back around four." Was all he said before he took the stroller and walked towards the door.

Rachel hesitated for a split second but then resolutely made up her mind.

"Ross wait!" She said.

She almost thought he didn't hear her for he kept walking and was already in the hallway by now. But he did stop though he did not turn to face her.

"Don't do this, what is wrong with you? I have a feeling you've been avoiding me all this time. You ignore me when I talk to you. I.."

But Ross stopped her, there was an annoyed frown on his face but Rachel couldn't see it.

"Is that all?" He asked coldly. He let out a sigh and then walked off without another word leaving Rachel standing in the hallways with a stunned expression on her face.

Once outside, Ross let out a breath he seemed to be holding in the whole walk down to the street. The sun was shining brightly, it was a beautiful day. He shook his head slightly to clear his mind. The scene that just had transpired between him and Rachel had stirred something inside him. He frowned as he recalled what she had asked him. _"What's wrong with you?" _ Ross let out a frustrated sigh, if she still couldn't see that then what was the use? He started walking towards the park, he would not spend another minute thinking about Rachel, he was going to have a fun day with his daughter and nothing would stop him from just doing that.

* * *

A few days had passed and Ross Rachel and Joey were still not on speaking terms. It had begun to irk the three other friends who were slowly but surely suffering from the seeming separation within their close group.

"This is a disaster." Phoebe noted, she was on Monica's couch stirring the contents of a plastic bowl.

"Make sure to stir that mix really well Pheebs!" Monica said as she put some biscuits in the oven.

"Yeah yeah I know, but don't you agree on the disaster thing Monica?" Phoebe said as she turned to face her cooking friend over the back of the couch.

"What is?" Monica was too distracted with her cooking to know what Phoebe was talking about.

"Well the whole Ross Rachel and Joey love triangle!" Phoebe said with a sigh. She stood up to return the bowl to Monica who stirred its contents some more for good measure, Phoebe decided to let it slide.

"Well you can hardly call it a love triangle now, I mean Joey and Rachel broke up and all." Monica replied setting the bowl down.

"But you are right it is a disaster, I mean I feel like we' re separated somehow you know? Ross and Joey can't be in a room together, my brother had been avoiding him and Rachel for that matter quite a lot. I tried reasoning with him but you know how hardheaded and stubborn he can be." She finished with a frustrated sigh. Her expression saddened slightly, she knew Ross was upset by the whole Joey and Rachel thing but it was really getting difficult to handle the situation as it was now. All three of the people involved were suffering and the rest of the group too. Something had to be done but unfortunately she couldn't do much to help, only hope that one day she could knock enough sense in her brothers head to make him talk about his feelings towards Rachel and Joey.

Then again, to her it also seemed very fair if Rachel and Joey were the firsts to start the conversation that needed to be addressed, it had been prolonged for too long. But it was kind of hard what with Ross avoiding them at all cost and whenever he did have to see Rachel he treated her with silence.

Rachel had told her how she had tried to stir up conversation several times now but every time she'd receive the cold shoulder.

"Hey, I don't think Ross even knows they broke up almost a week ago does he?" Phoebe asked suddenly pulling Monica from her thoughts.

Monica shook her head.

"No I don't think so, I mean I haven't told him and I'm sure Chandler didn't neither for he keeps on insisting I shoudn't tell him. That he should hear it either from Joey or Rachel. Did you tell him?"

Phoebe shook her head.

"No, I feel that Chandler is right in this case." She said.

Monica balled her fists on the table.

"Ugh I hate it when he is right!" She said semi amused. Phoebe just grinned at her.

They both looked up when the door opened revealing Rachel and Emma. Rachel had a resolute expression on her face.

"Monica can you watch Emma for a little bit? Joey is out." She asked.

"Sure, but where are you going, got called in for work?" Monica replied as she took the little girl from her arms.

"No, I'm going over to Ross' place." Rachel said with a frown.

"What? Did he finally come around and agree to talk to you?" Phoebe asked hopeful.

But Rachel shook her head at that.

"No he did not but I've had enough of this, he can't keep ignoring me forever! It's time we settled this thing between us. I hate this situation we're in. I want things to go back to normal." Rachel ended softly. She rubbed her arms as she looked down at her feet.

"I'm just so tired of him ignoring me, it hurts." She whispered before shaking her head.

"I'll be back in a little bit." She added before walking out. Monica and Phoebe shared a stunned look, both had a small hopeful smile on their faces.

"Ross, you had better let her talk to you this time!" Monica muttered softly to no one in particular as she shifted Emma in her arms, the little girl was playing with the long strands of her hair.

Rachel walked the short distance to Ross' building, her mind occupied with pondering thoughts of how to approach the situation at hand. She had sounded brave over at Monica's but her resolve was quickly crumbling the closer she got to his apartment.

"Stop it Rachel, it's not like he'll hurt you or something!" She scolded herself. She did not like the anxious feeling she was experiencing, almost as if she was afraid to face her best friend. She stepped through the entrance door and decided to take the stairs up to his floor just so she could go over the scenario in her head.

To be honest, she hadn't the slightest idea how she should start the conversation. But she was determined to succeed today. It had been too long since they'd had a normal happy conversation and hung out like the close friends they once were.

She let out a soft sigh as she reached his floor. Suddenly she had the urge to go back but she suppressed it. She slowly walked up to his apartment, hoping that he would be there. She let out a shaky sigh as she looked up at his door. Here she was there was no more turning back now as she raised her hand to knock on the door but she hesitated.

Would he even listen to her now after he had been ignoring all this time? Would he give her a chance to explain herself, even plead for his forgiveness? She felt nervous as she rubbed her arms, her eyes never leaving the sight of his door right in front of her.

Resolutely she raised her hand a second time to knock when suddenly the door opened and revealed no one other then Ross himself. He seemed to be surprised to see her there but he molded his face in a neutral expression quickly not saying a word as he closed his door and locked it.

"Ross." She said softly as she looked up at him noticing that his tan had faded a little He didn't say a word, just looked down on her with that neutral almost blank expression on his face that made her shiver slightly, the warmth of his eyes that she loved so much was replaced by a dull almost emotionless coldness.

She watched him turn away from her, taking a few steps towards the elevator on his floor. She walked after him calling his name but she didn't get a response out of him whatsoever, he just kept on walking as if she wasn't even there. She couldn't take it any longer, it hurt her seeing him behave like that around her and she had enough of it.

She firmly grabbed the sleeve of his loose jacked and tugged at it, causing him to stumble backwards slightly in surprise.

"Dammit Ross, stop ignoring me!" She all but yelled as she walked around him so they were face to face.

"We need to talk and we're going to do that now, I've had enough of this!" Her voice trembled as she looked up at him but she refused to let her resolve crumble under his intense stare.

"Joey and I broke up." She said softly.

Ross' heart skipped a beat, he scolded himself for it. So what if she broke up with Joey? It wouldn't make a difference for him, he knew they wouldn't get back together just because of that. And he didn't want to neither, he'd been hurt one too many times by her. Yet he could not help but feel relieved, almost happy about that news. But he didn't show it. His face remained blank.

"Ross, say something." Rachel said almost desperately, she couldn't stand the way he kept staring down at her.

Ross just looked down at her before he averted his gaze.

"What do you expect me to say Rachel? Congratulations? Do you think that just because you broke up with Joey, everything is all fine and dandy again? I'm sorry but it just doesn't work that way." With that he pushed past her for the second time and this time she didn't stop him.

Ross sipped the warm coffee he was holding in his hand while walking through a secluded part of Central Park. It was getting late in the afternoon. He almost chuckled when he thought back on the many times he'd had walked the same path over and over again. He'd come to like the park, it was the only place that seemed to relax him completely as he listened to the quiet noises of nature around him. In the distance he could hear people laughing or yelling. He'd avoided that busy part of the park for exactly those same reasons.

He let out a soft sigh as he sat himself down on one of the deserted benches. Across from him sat an elderly man who was feeding the ducks some breadcrumbs. He nodded at Ross who returned the gesture. He set his foam cup next to him on the bench and leaned back closing his eyes. The sun-rays were pleasant and warm.

He sunk further into his thoughts, thinking about the conversation he had with Rachel just a few hours ago. Had he been to hard on her? He wanted to say no, he berated himself for the slight guilt that nagged at his conscious. He could never be angry at her for long, the past couple of weeks had been hell to say the least. At first he hadn't meant to ignore her completely but every time he saw her and Joey together, it made him feel things and think things he'd rather forget.

But now? He didn't know what to think of the situation, they had broken up. Part of him wondered if it was because of him. Although it made him feel almost triumphant deep inside, he knew that he could not bare to be the source of their break-up. Sure he hated that they were together, it still felt like he had been stabbed in the back numerous times over and over again but he also knew that he had to move on.

Rachel obviously had. He hated himself for still harboring hopes and feelings for her and what they had. Plus it wasn't fair to Charlie, his current girlfriend.

He stretched out stealing a glance at his watch, he had been here for over an hour already and his coffee had turned cold. He threw the cup in the trash can. As he stood up he made up his mind, he would talk to Rachel later. It was time they'd cleared some stuff up. He didn't want to ignore her forever plus Emma's first birthday was coming up. He wasn't going to let their situation ruin her party. He smiled affectionately as he thought about his baby girl, time had flown by so fast, she was already going to be one!

He walked out of the park towards the coffee house. He noticed Chandler and Monica were having what seemed a heated discussion with Phoebe who was holding some kind of strange object in her hands. Curiosity overtook him so he opened the doors and walked in, greeting his friends and sister as he sat down in his favorite chair.

Meanwhile in Joey and Rachel's apartment, Rachel was feeding Emma some fruit. She smiled at the small girl in front of her.

"You're getting so big so fast Emma! It's unbelievable!" She coed.

"What is unbelievable?" Joey asked as he walked into the living room.

"Oh Emma growing up so fast." Rachel replied with a smile. She had to admit that she was glad that there was no tension between her and Joey after their dating period. She didn't think she could've handled it next to Ross' hostile attitude towards her. She had tried to talk to him to no avail, she really hoped that things would be less tensed and strained when Emma's birthday rolled around or else it was not going to be a pleasant day.

Joey watched the slight sad frown on Rachel's face. He knew what she was thinking about. He sat down at the kitchen counter with one hand under his chin. Ross had every right to be mad but he wondered when everything would be back to normal again. He also knew that if he wanted that to happen, he had to talk to Ross himself, apologize even. Making up his mind he stood up.

"I'm going out, see you later." He said before disappearing out the door. Rachel didn't even hear him leave, she was too deep in her thoughts. She had take Emma from her highchair and was holding her gently against her, rocking softly back and forth. The small girl was almost sleeping, sucking on her fingers.

Rachel looked down at her, sometimes it was still hard to believe that she was here, this precious loittle person. Ross and her's creation. She closed her eyes and let out a slight chuckle at that. How unlikely it had been for them to conceive something so beautiful and yet it had happened in a drunken stupor. But she did not regret it, she would never regret it. A small tear rolled down her cheek, if only she could talk to him again, if only he let her apologize, let her be near him again. Not talking or seeing him was eating at her. He was still if not her dearest friend.

She just wanted things to be worked out, not only for their sake but also for Emma.

Joey found Ross in Central Perk, he seemed to be explaining something out of a magazine to them as he observed them from the window. He didn't know why, but he had an almost sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Calm it, it's not like he will rip your head off!...would he? No he'd probably done that by now..if it wasn't for the fact that he ignored me and Rachel pretty much completely, can't say I can blame him though..I" Joey shook his head when he realized he was rambling to himself. A woman who passed him and opened the door to the coffee house gave him a very strange look.

"Just rehearsing, I'm an actor." He explained hastily but it fell upon deaf ears for the woman had already entered the establishment. Letting out another sigh he opened the door himself and set foot into Central Perk, a look of determination on his face.

"Come on you guys, it's so obvious! You really do not see the resemblance?" Ross said with an amused grin on his face, both Chandler and Monica shot him confused looks. Phoebe however nodded her head at him.

"You know, you are really right there, it is uncanny!" She said surprised and totally clueless as to why the other two just didn't seem to see it.

"What are you looking at?" Came a new voice. Ross' grin disappeared from his face immediately, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the gang.

"Just a picture." He said shortly, closing the magazine and setting it aside. Monica gulped nervously, the atmosphere had done a 180 on them, it had been so relaxing and calm, but now it was tense and almost awkward.

"Whoa what's with all the negativity in the air all of a sudden?" Phoebe joked waving her arms around frantically, hoping to clear the mood up a little. It seemed however that it wasn't helping, instead Ross' frown grew more solid and Joey just stood behind the couch clumsily.

Ross sighed inwardly, just when the day seemed to brighten up a little, Joey had to come and ruin it for him. He had been successful in avoiding the likes of him for quite a while. He wondered if he should just get up and leave since he could feel anger rise up inside of him.

"Ehm maybe we should go." Phoebe whispered but Monica shushed her.

"You don't have to go, I was about to leave anyway." Ross said coldly.

But Joey stopped him in his movements.

"Don't go, we need to talk." He said in an unusual stern voice, the others were as taken aback as Ross was as they observed the two men glare at each other.

"I have nothing to say to you, what's done is done, I have no intentions of discussing the matter further." Ross said.

"Well that is too bad for you then because I really need to get this of my chest and you will listen." Joey said in a low angry voice shocking the rest of the group minus Ross even more.

"Never heard Joey talk like that!" Phoebe whispered towards Monica who nodded in agreement.

Ross was taken aback by Joey's unusual tone of voice and stern expression. He let out a sigh, he didn't feel like it but maybe it was just best to get it over with.

"Fine, say what you want to say." He said calmly as he sat back in his chair.

"I think it's best we leave you two alone to sort this out." Chandler said suddenly seizing a softly protesting Monica by the arm. Phoebe agreed heartily with him. Together, the three of them made their way to the exit leaving the two remaining friends alone in silence.

Joey took a seat on the couch facing Ross, letting out an almost nervous sounding sigh as he tried to come up with the right words. Ross just observed him quietly.

"Rachel and I broke up." He started softly.

Ross didn't say anything at that, he didn't feel the need to tell Joey that he already knew that piece of information.

"So?" He said much in the same fashion as he had addressed Rachel that very morning.

"Well I thought you'd like to know." Joey said. He clasped his hands together.

"Look, I know it doesn't take back what happened and I know that my apologies may mean nothing to you but I want you to know that I truly am sorry for everything. I would like to explain just how it could happen, you see I was..." But Ross stopped him by lifting up his hand and shaking his head.

"I don't need to hear your reasons, they wont make this situation any better."

But Joey disagreed.

"No Ross, please I need to explain, it's the only way to ease the tension between us and maybe you and Rachel."

With that Joey sat back and started to fill Ross in on all that happened leading up to Rachel and him kissing in Barbados and getting together starting with the seemingly vanished crush he had when she was pregnant."

Meanwhile at Monica's apartment, the three friends were eating an afternoon snack when Rachel walked in with Emma on her arm.

"Hey guys!" She said cheerful but Monica could hear the slight edge in her voice.

"What are you guys up too? I though you were at the coffee house?"

"Yeah well things were getting a little too tense for us there!" Phoebe said instantly.

Chandler just shot her a look.

"Why what happened?"

"Joey walked in." Monica said.

Rachel lifted her eyebrows not understanding what that had to do with it.

"So?"

"Well", Chandler started, "Ross was there with us and Joey wanted to talk to him."

Rachel's eyes widened a little at that piece of information.

"Did they talk?" She asked softly.

"I sure hope so, the tension was off the rockets between those two when we left." Phoebe said with a serious expression.

Rachel sat down on the couch as she fed Emma a cookie, she wondered if Ross would listen or even talk to Joey, he had been ignoring both of them all this time and he still hadn't wanted to talk to her earlier. She hoped that they could work things out for it might even help her in a way, maybe if Ross talked to Joey he would also start to talk to her again. Though she knew the chance was slim she was willing to bet on it, She would do anything just for a chance to speak with Ross.

"You okay?" Monica asked as she sat down next to her friend.

Rachel nodded, not answering the question and Monica didn't push her.

"You know, my brother is stubborn and hardheaded sometimes, but I'm sure he'll turn around soon one way or another. He can't stay mad for long, especially not with you remember?"

"Well he has been mad with me longer then ever now, so I'm not so sure if he'll turn around soon." Rachel remarked almost miserably.

Chandler rested his chin in his hands as his thoughts drifted off to Central Perk, he wondered if he should go and take a peek, see if they didn't do too much damage to the place. But he scolded himself mentally for even thinking such a thing, both Ross and Joey were adults, well Joey was half way there he guessed but nonetheless, they would be wiser then just beat each other up. Letting out a sigh he turned to Phoebe.

"So tell us Pheebs, what's up with you new song?" He asked cheerful, he would listen to anything she would tell him right now, just to get his worries off his two best pals.

Said best pals were sitting in silence in Central Perk, each to their own thoughts. Joey was twiddling his thumbs while he waited for Ross' reaction to his explanations. Ross' face was neutral, he couldn't read his expression and that worried him. But even if Ross would be mad still, he did feel a lot better now that he had managed to talk to him.

"Look I know it won't make you turn around completely and forgive me instantly for what I did but it's a start right?" He asked hopefully.

To his relieve, Ross gave him a little nod.

"I appreciate you telling me all this, and I am glad you made me listen to you. I still feel hurt and betrayed by you though but I think I can start to forget about it now. It has been frustrating enough lately. Just don't think that everything will be back to normal now, I still need some time to take all of this in." Ross said as he looked at Joey.

Joey nodded in understanding. He let out a deep sigh.

"I understand that, but please talk to Rachel too man, she's really suffering from all of this too, you might think she isn't but you're wrong. She feels terrible. If you don't do it for her then at least do it for little Emma?" Joey asked carefully.

Ross closed his eyes briefly at that. He knew he had to confront Rachel and he'd told himself earlier that he would, he had just not been ready this morning plus seeing her in the hallway had been a complete surprise. But Joey was right, they had to talk and make up somehow, for Emma's sake. It would be her birthday soon, she would turn one. He wanted it to be special no matter what and that couldn't be achieved if her parents were ignoring each other.

He nodded slightly.

Joey flashed him a smile.

"That's good." He said standing up. He stretched lightly before checking his watch.

"Whoa would you look at the time! I've got a date!" He said in surprise. Ross just shot him a look.

Joey turned around and was about to walk to the exit when Ross called his name.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Never in a million years would I have thought you could sound so wise and mature during a conversation." Ross said with a semi serious expression. Joey raised his eyebrows at that.

"I should feel offended at that...i think?" He said amused before saying bye and walking out of the door. Ross just watched him go. He had to admit that the talk with Joey had brought him some relieve in a weird way. He knew it was silly to think that he could've avoided the subject and them forever. Making up his mind he exited the coffee house and walked over to the building where he knew he would find the one he was looking for...

**The End. Of part B that is ...**

**I just know all of you are like o_O WTFBBQ?#$%$##$!GRRR!, I am all knowing. Yes I ended the chapter here because I am concluding this little three parter in the next chapter and include Emma's birthday!**


	26. Change

**Little Glimpses of Love**

**22C; Change.**

**A/n; **** Welcome to the last chapter in this story...well not in LGOL but in the small trilogy dealing with the whole JnR and RnR situation. This chapter was both hard and entertaining to write and I hope I did it some justice, that bad period in Friends. Though I can't whole heartily say I like this chapter.**

**This will include the season ten episode TOW the Cake and just a warning in advance, I changed that episode upside down and totally around and won't use much of it in here plus I am taking a stab at Mondler for they highly irritated me with their selfish behavior in that episode.**

**Now without further ado.**

**Again this chapter takes off right after the last!**

Rachel lifted Emma up, the girl was almost fast asleep and protested heavily because of all the movement all of a sudden.

"Someone's fuzzy and sleepy." Rachel said softly, She hugged Emma close to her body and turned to face the rest of the gang minus Joey and Ross, who were not here. She wondered if they were still at Central Perk.

"I'm going to go across the hall, Emma needs her sleep." She said softly before walking towards the door and walking out. When she stepped into her and Joey's apartment, she made a beeline for Emma's crib and gently laid the small girl down. She rested her elbows on the small high bed and just looked at the peaceful sleeping face of her daughter. She was so beautiful.

Rachel reached down and gently ran her fingers through Emma's short hair.

"It's almost your first birthday, such a milestone! We have to make it special won't we?" She whispered , trailing off as she thought about that sentence.

Yes she wanted Emma's first birthday to be special, for her little girl to be surrounded by all the people that loved and cherished her. Her thoughts automatically drifted off to the one person she wanted to be there the most and that was Ross.

She shook her head sadly, the way things were looking right now, it seemed that Emma's birthday might become a real tensed one. She desperately hoped that Ross could set his current resentment of her and Joey aside for their baby girl. She didn't want anything to interfere with Emma's special day.

"This is such a mess." She said to herself. She kissed Emma's forehead one last time before softly making her way out of the room.

She was about to make herself something to drink when the sound of the door opening loudly startled her.

"Joey! How many times do I have to tell you not to..." But she was silent at once when she turned to stare in the face of Ross.

"Sorry" Ross said as he saw her startled expression. The door hadn't want to open for some reason so he had to use some force.

Rachel said nothing, she just looked at him, trying to debate whether she was imagining things or not. She remembered the last time they had stood in front of each other and that hadn't been pleasant.

Ross turned away from her gaze to close the door.

"We need to talk." He said seriously. He walked over to the couch but didn't sit down. Instead he kept pacing back and forth which made Rachel feel more nervous with each passing second.

But she kept quiet, not sure what to say. He had come here to talk, she was happy about that but it also meant that things were really awkward in this instance.

Ross cleared his throat as he stopped to look at her.

"I heard about the break-up." He said. But he didn't make any amends to speak any further. Rachel nodded her head at that. She was racking her brain for something to say but she seemed to be out of words.

Ross frowned, this was not going how he wanted it to go. He had reasoned in his head that he would come in and settle the situation smoothly, but of course things never go as anticipated.

The awkward silence between them was irritating him however, so he turned towards the couch and sat down, motioning for Rachel to take a seat next to him.

Rachel swallowed, she was feeling nervous though she really didn't have a reason to be if she thought about it. She sat down next to him.

"I know this may seem unbelievable coming from me but...sorry things didn't work out." Ross said startling Rachel who indeed had a hard time believing him.

"You don't mean that." She blabbered out without thinking. She clamped a hand over her mouth and averted her gaze.

Ross just gave her an almost amused look.

"Actually, I do. Look I know that tings between us...well they haven't been really peachy lately. But no matter how angry I might get at you, I would never want for you to be unhappy. But that is not what I came here for. I just want things to get cleared up." Ross rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together.

Rachel was silent for a moment. She was rethinking things in her mind.

"I owe you an apology." He started but Rachel cut him off right then and there.

"No Ross, you don't. If there is someone who needs to apologize it's me." She said sincerely.

"Look, I was selfish, I didn't realize how much we were hurting you, well no actually I did but I pretended not to care which was wrong. Because I did care. What happened between me and Joey, it was just a fling, some stupid attraction that went overboard." She stopped talking for a moment.

"You know, I might not have seemed like it but seeing you act so strangely during that disastrous dinner we had, it did sting me. I felt really bad for you but I just pretended nothing was wrong. I can slap myself in the face for that."

Ross just looked at her, his face unreadable. Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat. She was feeling awkward.

"And I know these words wont make it right but I am really sorry." She finished. She turned her gaze away from him.

"Rach, look at me." Ross said seriously. But she refused. He let out a sigh.

"Thank you for that, but you're not the only one at fault here. Somehow my talk with Joey of all people, made me see that."

Ross let out a sigh.

"Rachel please look at me, I cant talk to you this way. It's time we leave this behind us, if only for Emma's sake. I don't want her first birthday ruined because of our stupid arguments." He gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards him.

"I do own you an apology though, I shouldn't have ignored you the way I did, that way we could've talked about this earlier and solved it before it got really out of hand, but you have to understand that I was really angry and upset. I was hurt. And you told me you didn't understand it, but think about it. What would you do if your best friend, who promised you not to act on his crush goes around and stab you in the back? And to see the one person I trust most and cherish most act as if nothing is going on? Act as if nothing happened just thinking that things will be alright.

If said two friends didn't even had the audacity to tell it to my face no matter how hard they say they tried? Because if they did, they would have found a way, I know you would. But you just didn't care." Ross said softly.

"I guess I was more mad at those reasons then the fact that it was you two together like that." He finished.

For a moment everything was silent while both seemed to gather their thoughts after that. Rachel felt even worse now then before.

"I'm sorry." She whispered again.

Ross let out a sigh.

"You know, I know it's none of my business, but why did you break up with Joey?" Ross asked curiously.

"Because I hate to think that maybe I was the reason, as I said before I would never want to see you unhappy."

Rachel bit her lip.

"Don't worry about it but yes in a way it was because of you. But not because you were mad or anything but because I had second thoughts knowing I was hurting you. I told Joey the reason was that it was just too weird but in reality I just couldn't go through with it because of you. I guess in some way..." But she stopped talking, instead she just averted her eyes.

"In some way what?" Ross prodded.

Rachel looked up at him as she grabbed one of his hands in hers.

"Remember when you kind of dated my sister? And how you didn't want to take that further because of...well because you thought that then maybe there couldn't be a chance for us anymore? I guess I felt the same way when I was with Joey." She confessed.

Ross looked at her in disbelieve.

"What?"

Rachel let out a sigh.

"You know what I mean Ross. Don't play dumb now." She countered as she let go of his hand.

Ross let her words sink in.

"So you mean, you still...I mean I'm not the only one who still harbors any kind of hope for...well for us to happen?" He asked softly.

Rachel nodded in confirmation.

"God how pathetic are we?" She joked trying to lighten the mood.

Ross couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Very pathetic, how come we just can't seem to move on completely from each other?" He wondered.

Rachel shook her head at him.

"I don't know really, maybe it's because we still care about each other so much ." She said softly.

"Well anyway, I think it's time we just forget about this whole thing don't you think? Truce?" She joked before the situation could turn awkward again and sticking her hand out. But Ross didn't take it. Instead he leaned forward and embraced her in a warm hug.

"Thanks Rachel." He whispered. She just buried her face into his shoulder, his scent was comforting her in more ways then one.

"No Ross, thank you. I was really sad and worried that we would never be able to look past all of this." She whispered back. She felt him squeeze her a little tighter before he let go.

They shared a smile.

"Well now that is cleared up finally, what do you say we start planning for Emma's birthday? Because I have some great ideas I would like to share with you." Ross said amused.

"That would be great." Rachel answered as she got up to get a notepad from the kitchen counter. Even though things wouldn't be all dandy and fine instantly, there was a promise of forgiveness that tied them together once again. Rachel was just happy they had managed to solve things to this extend that they could be around each other again without any animosity, because that was something they didn't need on Emma's important day.

* * *

" Can you believe it's going to be Emma first birthday this weekend?" Ross asked as he scooted closer to Rachel on the comfortable orange Central Perk couch.

"It seems so surreal, time has flown by so fast." Rachel replied adopting a thoughtful expression on her face. She chuckled as she remembered some of the funny moments they had experienced in Emma first year.

"Oh her first year went by way to quickly, to me it seems like yesterday that she came out of me." She reminisced.

Ross nodded at that, "Tell me about it, that moment will forever hold a special place in my heart." He said with a smile. Rachel returned his smile with one of her own.

"What are you smiling about?" Came a familiar voice. Chandler sat down in one of the chairs that surrounded the coffee table. But before either one of them could answer him, Monica walked in.

"Hey!" She said cheerful. Chandler turned his attention to her in greeting and told her how he had booked them a room at the Wood-fort Inn for that weekend.

Both Ross and Rachel perked up at that.

"You can't go away this weekend! It's Emma's birthday and we're having a party." Rachel said.

"Can't you just have the party when we get back?" Monica countered.

"No, that won't be a real birthday!"

"Gee if only she were one and had no idea what a birthday was." Chandler noted sarcastic. Ross shot him a look.

"Come on you guys, this is really important to us!" He said.

"Well, I'm sorry but Chandler and I could really use a weekend away to reconnect...emotionally". Chandler then proceeded to explain he wanted to do something in Vermont that he read about in Maxim. Rachel looked at them both in disbelieve.

"Can't you go to Vermont the next day?" She asked.

"Yeah we want everyone to be there! As much as I hate to delay you doing weird sex stuff to my little sister." Ross said.

"You guys this is a big deal, I mean how can we have her first birthday party without her aunt and her uncle?"

Monica let out a small sigh.

"All right we'll stay, we can just drive up there after the party." She said without much enthusiasm. Chandler nodded in agreement.

Ross and Rachel just shared a look at their friends' behavior. They didn't understand what the big deal was, didn't they see how important a first birthday was?

"Well I got to go, Chandler?" Monica motioned for him to follow her.

"See you later guys." He got up and walked out if the coffee house.

Rachel turned to face Ross.

"Can you believe that? They would rather spend time alone and away instead of witnessing such a great milestone in their niece's life. I mean are we being selfish to want them to stay?" She wondered.

Ross shook his head, "No we're not Rach."

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Okay I got to go, I'll come and pick you up later say around 4? So we can go shopping for Emma's presents."

"Okay, I'm going home too, see you later." Rachel said as they both walked out of the coffee-shop and went their separate ways.

Rachel hurriedly made her way home, she couldn't wait to see her baby girl. It was strange but she always missed Emma when she was working. But she knew she was in good hands with the nanny.

She opened the door to her apartment and was greeted by said nanny who was holding a crying Emma.

"Oh what happened?" Rachel asked as she took the girl from Molly's hands.

"She woke up crying from her nap just now, I think maybe she had a bad dream."

"Oh, is that right Emma, did you have a bad dream?" Rachel coed while holding the small girl against her. Emma seemed to snuggle into her embrace.

"Thanks Molly, you know what take a break but be sure to be back by four okay?." She said with a smile.

"Sure thing!" With that the nanny left. Rachel walked over to the couch and carefully sat down, Emma's crying had ceased but she was still upset. She rubbed her back comfortingly while resting back against the couch. She pressed her cheek against Emma's head and closed her eyes.

"Shh it's okay sweetie." She whispered.

A knock on the door startled Rachel awake, she had drifted off to sleep on the couch after she had put Emma back to bed.

"It's open!" She said loudly.

"Hey! Ready to go?" Ross asked with a smile.

"Yeah but we have to wait for Molly to come back first."

"No need I'm here!" Came another friendly voice.

Rachel motioned her over.

"Okay, well I'll leave things to you then. We won't be gone too long I guess." Rachel grabbed her purse then walked back into her room to gently kiss Emma goodbye before she followed Ross out of the apartment.

"So where do you want to go?" Ross asked as they got into a waiting cab.

"Not sure, I mean I don't even know what to get her." Rachel wondered, "I mean what is appropriate for a one year old?"

Ross chuckled at that.

"We'll go to a baby store, they'll have some good stuff that is suitable for her I'm sure."

Rachel frowned at that.

"As long as it is not that store where we bought all our other baby stuff I'm fine with it Indiana Jones."

Ross lifted his eyebrows at that but didn't say anything.

The cab ride was silent for the most part but it was a comfortable silence, not the awkward kind they had been experiencing before and it made Ross really happy that they had worked things out. Looking back on those few weeks made him shake his head in disbelieve now.

"What are you shaking your head at?" Rachel asked but Ross shook it off.

"Ah nothing special just a funny thought that's all."

They reached their destination. The store was huge to say the least. It was three stories high from what they could see.

"Well, I think that we'll be able to get something here!" Ross mused as they made it to the entrance.

"Let's take a cart." Rachel said taking one of the buggy carts that were located at the front of the store. They stepped in, amazed by what they saw.

"Why didn't we go to this store when we needed all that other baby stuff, this one is way better then the one we went to!" Rachel said amused. They walked around the first floor a bit. There were mostly baby furniture and necessities here.

"Aw would you look at that, that is so cute!" Rachel said as she pointed at a small highchair. It was white with pink and had a bubble decoration.

Ross nodded in agreement.

"You know, we do still need one of those...we could get one today ." He mused.

"Yeah we could...okay let's take that one!" Rachel said. Ross could hear excitement in her voice, he winched at it because it meant that they would take more home then they came for. It was a fact that he already was familiar with. But then again, he didn't mind it as much as he should, this was for his baby girl. He wanted her to have everything she needed no matter the cost.

"The pink and white one?" He asked as he looked at the shelf behind the displayed highchairs, he searched around for a bit before he finally found the one he was looking for. He carefully grabbed the square box and placed it under the cart on the tray.

"You do know how to set it up don't you? Because I suck at doing that kind of stuff." Rachel said with a chuckle.

"It comes with a guide, how hard can it be?" Ross answered.

They made their way to the second floor.

"Oh wow look at all the cute little clothes they have here, we could get her some for her birthday. She does need some new stuff."

"Sure thing." Ross said. He walked to the girl's clothing side of the store followed by Rachel.

"Gee why is almost everything pink? Don't girls wear other colors?" Ross joked as he shifted through a clothing rack. He lifted up a few outfits and hung them back again. So far he hadn't seen anything he really liked.

"Oh this is so cute!" Rachel squealed holding up a light pink baby dress with matching sunhat and shoes.

"Hmm yeah that is kind of cute." Ross agreed. Rachel checked for the right size before she put it in the cart. She was simply delighted at all the stuff she saw. She had a feeling her wallet and Ross' for that matter would be considerably flattened by the end of their shopping spree.

"Okay we have to get her this one!" Ross said excited as he held up a small t-shirt. It was light yellow and it had a red dinosaur baby on the front.

Rachel rolled her eyes at that, she should've known Ross would find something dinosaur related today.

"Well, it is kind of cool...but."

"Nu uh no buts, I have equal choice right today and I'm saying we get this!" Ross put the shirt in the cart to emphasize his statement.

"Fine! But that's it no more dinosaur stuff!" Rachel said.

"We'll see." Ross walked away from her to look at another clothing rack. In the end, they ended up with one more dinosaur item (a sunhat) and several tiny dresses, shirts, pants and shoes.

"I'm telling you, she is going to be spoiled rotten!" Ross sighed.

"No she won't, she needs all of this." Rachel countered.

"Sure whatever you say Rach." Ross laughed as they made their way into the elevator to go explore the third floor. Just as Ross had thought, this floor was mostly decorated with rows and rows of toys, stuffed animals and other baby nick-knacks.

"I'm loving this store more and more!" Rachel said as she sped off to one corner of the store while Ross went to the other side. There was so much to choose from that it made his mind boggle.

After a good half an hour, they both got some new toys for Emma to add to the already impressive amount of stuff in the cart.

"Ross, seriously?" Rachel rolled her eyes as Ross added two pink stuffed dinosaurs to the cart.

"Oh come on, they're cute! Admit it!" He said amused.

"Ugh whatever, let's go before we will be totally out of money. This store is not healthy for my wallet that is for sure!" Rachel joked. They paid for their stuff and arranged for it to be delivered to Rachel and Joey's apartment later that evening.

"Well that was fun." Ross said stretching out when they stepped outside.

"Would you look at the time? We've been in there for almost three hours!" Rachel said in disbelieve.

"Let's get going, Molly must be wondering where we are by now."

Ross nodded as he stopped a cab.

"Well, let's go then!" He said cheerful. He had been having a great time shopping for his baby girl. Normally he didn't really care for shopping.

"Thanks for coming with me." Rachel said.

"No need, I wanted to be there." Ross countered. Rachel shot him a small smile as the cab slowly made it's way to its destination.

* * *

It was the day of Emma's party and Rachel was already getting excited. Emma on the other hand seemed extra fuzzy. She hadn't slept really well through the night so Rachel had decided to put her down for an early nap. She didn't want Emma to be over-tired when the party would take off.

She took some of the decorations out of the box, wondering how and where she would hang them.

"Need some help?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, why don't you blow up some balloons, I mean we do have these helium ones but I want some normal ones as well." Rachel answered.

Joey grabbed the small package of colorful balloons and opened it.

"You know, I think this party will be great, when is everyone going to be here?"

Rachel balanced herself on the chair she was standing on so she could pin one end of a happy birthday decoration banner to the wall.

"I told everyone to be here around three."

"Cool." Joey blew up the last balloon and then proceeded to tie them around various pieces of furniture. He attached two to Emma's new highchair.

"Aw that is so cute." Rachel commented. She had just finished hanging up the last of the decorations as well.

"Ah man that was tiring! I think I'll take a nap as well, see you in a few!" Joey said disappearing into his bedroom. Rachel could only shake her head at him in amusement.

The door opened revealing Monica.

"Hey Rachel, so when is this party going to get started?" She said.

"I told you, be here around three." Rachel said with a sigh. She knew how badly Monica and Chandler wanted to go to Vermont but she was honestly getting irritated at their lack of interest in Emma's birthday and their many complaints she had received so far.

"Can't you do it a little earlier...say now?" Monica said with a slight edge to her voice.

"No we can't! For one Emma is just taking a nap now and your parents couldn't make it earlier anyway. Look I know how much you don't want to be here, I don't understand it though. This is your niece's first birthday!" Rachel said, she had to strain herself from saying something more.

It didn't go unnoticed by Monica. She let out a sigh.

"Sorry, you're right." She said embracing Rachel in a hug.

"Good." Rachel returned the friendly hug, "Because I don't want any sour looking people on this happy day. I promise, you can leave as soon as she blew out her candle on the cake alright? You don't have to stay till the end."

"Sounds good to me." Monica said with a smile, she took in her surroundings.

"Wow you decorated it nicely!" She said.

"Thanks, I had some help from Joey. Oh that reminds me, can I borrow that grew fold-up table you have? So people can place their presents on it?"

"Sure, I'll go get it for you." With that Monica walked out. She almost ran into a delivery guy who jumped aside just in time.

"Uhm I have a cake delivery for a Ms Greene?" He said.

"Oh Emma's cake! It's here." Rachel said . Monica just shrugged and proceeded to walk into her apartment.

"Sign here please?"

"Alright there you go." Rachel said as she returned the pen to him. Then she took the cake from him and closed the door behind her.

She was about to sneak a peek at it but her phone ringing interrupted her plans, she set the cake aside in the fridge before hurrying to pick up her phone that was on the table.

Meanwhile on the other side of the street, Ross was getting ready for his daughters party. He had been working in the morning and just got home. He looked at the neatly wrapped gift that sat on his couch. He shook his head, even though Rachel and he had bought Emma a boatload of stuff already, he just hadn't been able to leave this gift at the store he had walked by. It was just perfect.

"Okay I guess I'm all set." He said to himself as he took the camera of its charger, he had a wonderful idea he wanted to share with Rachel, he already knew she would like it.

Taking the camera and the extra gift, he left with a grin on his face as he thought about the party that would commence shortly.

When he arrived, Phoebe was already there.

"Hey you guys!" He greeted before taking his camera out of his pocket.

"Hey I brought the camera, I thought that maybe it would be cool to make a video of her first birthday and then show it to her when she is eighteen, you know sort of like a time-capsule." Ross said towards Rachel.

"That's a great idea Ross." Rachel said surprised. "So you are just gonna tape her blowing out her candle and stuff?"

"No no, I thought it would be great if everyone said something to her as well, then when she looks back she might also get a laugh out of it." Ross said. He looked around the room.

"You know, it's really nicely decorated." He said.

"Why thank you!" Rachel countered.

"So is Emma awake yet?"

Rachel shook her head, "No it's still nap-time, but she'll be up soon."

"Oh okay, and where is Joey?"

"I said, it's still nap-time." Rachel said amused.

"Not anymore!" Ross said when he noticed Joey coming out of his room, yawning and stretching.

"Hey there is uncle Joey! Say something to the camera to Emma on her 18th birthday!"

Joey thought for a moment before he began his speech but Ross cut him short fast for he was about to say something inappropriate. He shook his head at him closing the camera and walking away.

"Hey Joey, could you set this table up please so people can put their presents up."

"Oh sure okay." Joey said, unbeknownst to Rachel he was having a mini panic attack for he had totally forgotten to bring a gift. He voiced his concern to Phoebe.

The door opened revealing Chandler and Monica who both were holding presents in their hands.

"Heeeey, so where is the birthday girl?" Chandler asked.

"Oh she is still napping." Rachel answered.

Chandler turned to look at her, " Oh sure, she was probably up all night excited about the party that she knows is happening." He said sarcastic.

Rachel felt like an answering machine repeating the same message over and over again, "Look I know you guys really want to get to Vermont and this isn't a big deal to you, but it is for us okay? Emma will never have a first birthday again!"

Monica sighed, " Alright alright we're sorry. So let's go wake her up and get this party started!"

But Rachel shook her head, explaining how Emma hadn't had a good night's sleep so she couldn't wake her up yet.

"Are you frigging kidding me Greene?" Monica burst out. But before Rachel could reply a knock on the door startled them revealing Judy and Jack Geller. They exchanged greetings before they went to put away their presents.

The party was well underway yet Emma was still napping. Monica was getting irritated and voiced her opinions to Chandler while Joey and Phoebe discussed their presents. Rachel overheard them.

"You guys have performances? Hey why don't you show us now once because people are getting a little antsy waiting for Emma to wake up. It will liven up things for sure."

"Okay fine with me!" Phoebe said enthusiastic. Joey agreed but his enthusiasm was a little less.

After they both performed, both Ross and Rachel were touched. Ross had taped all of it with the camera.

"You guys, Emma is going to love seeing you do this for her when she sees this tape later!" He said.

"Oh hey Ross, don't forget to take a shot of the cake! It's in the fridge." Rachel said as she stood at the kitchen counter.

"Oh yeah that is what I wanted to ask, what kind of cake did you get her that it had to be delivered?" Monica asked curiously.

"Oh I got it from a bakery in New Jersey, Carino's."

"Oh my god that place has the creamiest frosting! I used to hitchhike there when I was a kid!" Monica said.

Rachel lifted her brows at that, "Okay...well anyway, they make these great novelty cakes and if you give them a picture they copy it in icing."

"Aw did you do a picture of Emma?"

"Yes, on a cake shaped like a bunny!"

"That is so sweet."

"Uhm Rach? Does this bakery by any chance bake erotic cakes say for bachelorette parties?" Ross asked suddenly. Rachel gave him a look at that.

"What are you talking about Ross?" She asked as she made her way over to him and peeked into the box. What she saw there shocked her very core.

"Oh my God, they put my baby's face on a penis!" She yelled out. Everyone stood up and walked over at once.

"Hey now it's a party!" Phoebe said , but Rachel wasn't amused.

"This isn't funny! If I wanted for it be a failure I would've baked it myself!" She said loudly. She picked up the phone and proceeded to dial the number of the bakery while everyone else was still gathered around the cake.

"Uhm, is it okay if I still think it looks delicious?" Joey asked with a doubtful expression on his face. But no one was listening to him, they were all focused on Rachel who seemed to be in an argument with the bakery.

"I will bring this cake back right now!" She said before she hung up. She felt angry, everything had been going so well and now this.

"Monica borrow me the Porsche, I need to drive up there to get a different cake." She stated as she closed the box and picked it up.

"No, we need that car." Monica said.

"Yes, we could have already been in Vermont by now!" Chandler added.

Rachel bit her lip trying to control her emotions but to no avail.

"I'm so sick and tired of your whining! Oh my God, can't you for one second not think about yourself for once? I would've thought this day would mean a lot to you too but noooo all you can think about is going up to Vermont doing weird sex stuff!" She yelled out.

"You know what, never mind, just go! You obviously don't want to be here, don't let us hold you here and ruin your plans!" Rachel stormed away from the kitchen towards Phoebe.

"Hey Pheebs? Can I borrow your cab please?" She asked more calmly.

"Sure, here just bring it back in one piece!" Phoebe said giving her the keys.

"Rachel! That was not fair and you know it!" Monica said suddenly.

"Forget it Monica, just go!" Rachel said bitterly. She grabbed her coat and walked out of the door.

"Rachel wait!" Ross said grabbing her arm.

"I'm coming with you." He said then he turned towards the rest.

"Please watch Emma for us, we'll be right back. And don't leave please well except for you two then. Mon and Chandler have fun in Vermont." He said calmly but they could sense he was angry at them as well, the door closing with a bang was a clear indication of that.

Monica shared a look with Chandler while the rest of the room was silent.

"Wow." Phoebe said suddenly.

"What?" Joey asked. But Phoebe just shook her head.

"I can't believe them!" Monica said throwing her hands up in the air.

"Actually I got to agree with them." Chandler said softly.

"I mean we have behaved kind of selfish. Acting like this isn't a big deal while we both know it is."

Monica said nothing at that.

"Okay we have to go." Judy said, "Jack is not allowed to drive in the dark anymore."

"But Ross said no one should leave except for them." Joey said pointing towards Monica and Chandler who just gave him a look.

"Oh it's okay, Ross knows about his father's condition to drive." With that the Geller's left.

Phoebe took her phone from her purse and dialed a number.

"Yes hi, I'm sorry but I have to cancel our appointment, can we reschedule for tomorrow?"

After a little discussion she hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Joey asked curiously.

"Massage client."

He nodded his head at that.

He turned towards Monica and Chandler. "I thought you had to go?" He asked.

Monica let out a sigh, she felt terrible.

"No, we're staying, we can go to Vermont tomorrow or else next weekend right ?" She said turning towards Chandler who nodded.

They all sat down.

"I hope they can get a new cake on such short notice." Phoebe said.

"Yeah." Joey agreed. The phone rang and he picked up. It turned out to be his agent.

"Whoa wait what audition?" He said incredulously making the others look up. After he hung up he turned to them.

"Okay I have to go to an audition, be back before they get back!"

Before anyone could protest he was out the door.

Meanwhile somewhere on the highway.

"Rachel seriously slow down!" Ross yelled out. He was sweating bullets besides Rachel who's driving-style could not exactly be called calm and collected.

"Oh hush I'm not going that fast besides we don't have much time!"

"That doesn't matter, I would like to live thank you very much."

Rachel let out a sigh and slowed down just the slightest bit.

"Oh what are we thinking, we're never going to make it anyway." She said dejectedly. She slowed down to a stop at a gas station.

"What are you stopping for?"

"I need to call home to see if everyht6hing is alright." She said dialing the number. Ross looked out of the window while she was on the phone, the box with the cake in his lap. He turned his attention to it as he opened the box. Ripping a piece of the carton, he began to think of ways he could maybe modify the cake into something less adult-like.

Rachel hung up the phone.

"Emma's awake." She said softly as she slumped in her seat.

"She's awake and we're not even there, this day is turning out to be such a disaster! I wanted it to be perfect." She said softly.

Ross turned to look at her.

"Look she is not going to remember any of this you know." He said.

"I know but still...and ugh I feel kind of bad for yelling at Monica and Chandler like that. I should have kept my cool there but damn they just made me so mad you know?"

Ross nodded as he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"We'll talk to them Monday, for now we need to get back and give Emma a party, what do you say?"

Rachel nodded, then she noticed the open box in Ross' lap.

"What were you doing to the cake?" She wondered.

"Oh I was thinking how I could maybe change it back into a bunny, I kind of succeeded too."

Rachel looked at the cake and strangely enough he was right.

"Oh my God, how did you do that?"

"Well I just made these things cheeks and I kind of split this thing into long bunny ears." Ross said matter of fact.

"You're great." Rachel said softly, Ross just shot her a smile at that.

"Thanks, so shall we go home now? There is a special little girl waiting for us." He said.

Rachel nodded as she restarted the car.

"Yeah, let's get going."

Ross opened the door to the apartment and was surprised by the noise that greeted him. Joey and Phoebe were apparently racing with wind up toys while Monica and Chandler were on the floor with a very awake Emma and a row of stuffed animals that seemed to be organized by size.

"Hey!" Phoebe said in greeting when she noticed them.

"Hi." Ross said, Rachel nodded her head as she witnessed the scene in front of her.

"It's so great you guys are still here." She said softly. She walked up to Monica and Chandler.

Monica handed Emma over to Chandler before standing up.

"We're sorry Rachel." Monica started shushing Rachel who was about to apologize herself.

"We shouldn't have acted the way we did, it's just that we had been looking forward to some alone time for a while so we kind of got blindsided by it."

"That's true." Chandler said.

"Oh you guys, It's okay. I guess I should apologize too for yelling at you like that, I was just so disappointed and angry and.."

"Okay so we're good?" Monica interrupted with a smile..

"We're good." Rachel hugged her friend.

"Okay now that that is done, you gotta see what Emma learned from me!" Chandler said enthusiastically.

"Hey Emma how old are you?" He asked the small child while holding up his finger.

"One!" Emma babbled.

"Oh my God our daughter is a genius!" Ross said in awe, "Hey Rach does this mean..."

But Rachel interrupted him, "No science camp!"

"Darn!" Ross turned away to place a candle on the modified cake before taking it over to where Emma was sitting in Monica's lap on the floor.

"Here we go! Emma's first birthday cake!" He said happily. They all started to sing happy birthday softly while Emma looked at the candle in wonder.

Rachel watched the scene before her eyes and couldn't help but tear up at it. No matter how bad the day had started , just seeing all their friends gathered around Emma celebrating made her feel so much better.

"Are you okay?" Ross asked worried.

"Yes I'm fine, these are happy tears." Rachel said.

She sat down next to Ross taking Emma from Monica and hugging the small girl close to her. She would never forget this special day for as long as she lived.

END!


	27. Creation

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**23; Creation.**

**A/N: **** Welcome to the new installment of LGOL! After that rather dramatic three parter, it is now time for something lighter, fluffier and...R rated XD.**

**I had loads of troubles writing this, mainly cuz it has been a long while since I have written steamy stuff. And this chapter, its may not be explicit as in description maybe but it still had me blushing scarlet. (embarrassed)**

**Oh wel enjoy I guess!**

**This chapter deals with the events of TOW the video tape and has a small reference to LGOL 20 What happend in Vegas... Oh and RnR are deliciously out of character cuz well...they have wine swirling in their brains XDD. How I love writing a tipsy RnR interaction.**

**Onward!**

**

* * *

**

He opens his eyes, grimacing at the foul flavor in his mouth. Smacking his lips a few times he wonders just why his mouth is so dry and why he is suffering from a splitting headache. He shields his eyes with a small groan. He tries to take in the foreign surroundings around him.

"Where am I?" He whispers almost bewildered. He tries to sit up but a heavy weight on his stomach stops him in his tracks. Confused, he looks down at a shock of light brown hair, shielding the face of the person that is snuggled up to him, practically laying on top of him.

"What the?" He says surprised, hands flying to his head where the throbbing increases due to his loud gasp.

With a shock Ross realizes that he is in Joey's apartment, in Rachel's room. In her bed butt naked with said woman softly snoring away on top of him.

His cheeks flush as he tries to avoid looking at the woman in his arms, he tries to recollect his thoughts but manages to fail every time.

"What happened?" He asks himself, he settles back against the soft pillows of Rachel's bed, softly as to not to disturb her peaceful slumber. Part of him is amazed to be in the current situation, but an other part of him is terrified. He closes his eyes briefly trying to recall just what the heck happened the previous night.

His flushed cheeks begin to burn when the memories come flooding back, drowning his poor pain tormented mind in memories of gentle touches, whispers and serious adult activities...

* * *

_Ross looked at the camera, feeling just a slight bit foolish he quickly took a sip of the red wine he held in his hand._

_"Alright Geller, you have to ace this, your libido depends on it!" He said in a sort of pep-talk to himself. He pressed the record button before he took a comfortable seat on the yellow couch that belonged to Joey and Rachel's apartment._

_Raising his glass in a small cheer, he let out a deep sigh._

_"Okay, let's do this then." He murmured, feeling just a tad self-conscious about the whole thing. Luckily no one was here to see him do something as silly as this. Ross cocked a brow._

_"Maybe I should lock the door?" He pondered but then decided against it. He knew Joey wouldn't be back till at least lunchtime the next day but he had no idea when Rachel would return._

_He concentrated solely on the rolling camera in front of him, letting out a final deep breath, he was fixed on the camera and started to speak in what he thought was a smooth and sexy voice. He recalled the story Joey had told him._

_But a sudden noise at the door made him stop abruptly. He turned his head, seeing Rachel walk in with what appeared to be a small box of cards in her hands. Rachel jumped a little when she saw him._

_"Oh hey! What are you doing here?"_

_"Uhm I was visiting with Joey, he just left though. I was about to go myself." Ross said hastily. There was no way that he would tell her what he had been doing, he felt silly enough as it was already._

_"Oh...do you have to leave now?" Rachel asked with a hint of desperation on her face which was not missed by Ross._

_"I'm not in a hurry if that is what you're asking. Why?" He countered curiously as he stood up. Rachel promptly stuffed the small box in his hands._

_"Can you please stay and help me sort these so I can post them?"_

_Ross looked at the stack of what appeared to be wedding invitations in his hands._

_"Are these the invitations to.."_

_But Rachel held up her hand._

_"Say no more, I totally forgot about them! Don't tell Monica though, you know how she is with this kind of stuff." She pleaded as she took her coat off with a heavy sigh._

_"Sure." Ross said with an amused grin, he sat back on the couch and dumped the documents on the table._

_"I'll be right back to help you, I need to get out of these clothes into something more comfortable!" Rachel joked dramatically. Ross snorted at that. He went over to the kitchen to get another wine glass, he didn't think Rachel would object to some. As he poured the wine, he glanced over the invitations on the table. They looked like a mess, all disorganized and cluttered together. If his sister would see them like this, he was positive she would have a heart attack in the least. Shaking his head he started the task of organizing them and sorting them by alphabetical order._

_Rachel emerged from her bedroom in a comfortable sweats and a t shirt. She knew she didn't have to be ashamed to walk in such clothing near Ross since they'd known each other for a long time now, he had seen her in worse attires._

_"Oh hey thanks for the wine!" She said as she sat down next to him. She took one of the two piles Ross had created and began sorting through them._

_"You're welcome and honestly Rach, I don't understand how my sister could have put this task on you, she knows that you're a kind of chaotic person in the first place." He said semi serious. Rachel just pinned him with a look._

_"Whatever, I'm doing the task now aren't I?" She countered. Ross just shook at her letting out a small chuckle which earned him a slap on the shoulder._

_"Ow hey! No need to get violent."_

_"You deserved that." Was all Rachel said, she was dividing her pile in two smaller piles now. Ross watched her work. The way she was organizing them wasn't very convenient but none the less he kept his mouth shut._

_They worked alongside each other in a comfortable silence most of the time, sipping wine and occasionally talking about everything and nothing._

_Without really realizing it, they were halfway through their third bottle of wine when they finally finished the gruesome task as Rachel had dubbed it._

_"Oh come on it was not that bad!" Ross said, laying the sorted and enveloped invitations apart._

_Rachel let out a sigh and let herself fall back against the back of the couch they were seated on. She brought a hand to her forehead, she was feeling a little light headed from the wine but it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, more like a content buzz._

_Ross emptied the remains of the third bottle in their glasses before handing Rachel hers._

_"Might as well finish that one before I go home." He said with a smile. Rachel smiled back._

_"Might as well." She agreed taking a small sip. She set the glass back on the table._

_"So where did you say Joey was?" She asked. Her voice sounded a little off but she shrugged it off due to being a little tired._

_"A date, I bet you he won't be back till tomorrow afternoon the least if the date was good. He was really excited so I'm sure he is having the time of his life by now if you know what I mean." Ross said with a wink._

_"Right." Rachel agreed. She sat up straight stretching out._

_"But seriously Ross, thank you so much for helping me out. I wouldn't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here, I'd probably still be sorting those things out!" She said softly._

_"No problem Rach, you know I'm here for you if you need anything." Ross said equally soft. Rachel nodded at that. She gently squeezed his fore arm that was rested on his legs._

_"Yes I know that." She said seriously. She grabbed her glass and downed the rest in one gulp. She felt dizzy when she set the glass down._

_"Ugh okay I think I made a mistake there by drinking it all in one go." She said back, heavily leaning against Ross who just furrowed his brows._

_"Oh come on, it can't be that bad."_

_Rachel stuck her tongue out at him._

_"You do it too then mister 'it's not so bad,' I think I'm drunk now." She chuckled._

_"Trust me you're not drunk., I've seen you drunk before and sorry to say but its not a pretty sight! You're just tipsy." Ross assured her but Rachel was not amused._

_"That is not true." She countered._

_Ross downed the rest of his wine in one go as well, although he did feel slightly dizzy because of it, he still thought Rachel was over exaggerating. They only had emptied three bottles of wine and the bottles hadn't been that big. They could not be drunk of that he reasoned. But somewhere in his mind he knew those calculations were more then a little crooked._

_"It so is, when you're drunk...well you're not right now and let's keep it at that." Ross was surprised to hear a slight slur in his voice._

_"I guess I'm a little tipsy as well." He commented. Rachel just gave him a look before she burst out in giggles. Ross tried to remain neutral but her soft laughter was infectious and he found himself chuckling with her._

_"I think it's better I go home now and sleep this wine off." He sat standing up but Rachel pulled him back by the sleeve of his sweater. Ross fell clumsily back onto the couch, bumping his head with Rachel's in the progress._

_"OW!" They both said at the same time._

_"Why'd you pull me back down?" Ross asked surprised._

_"Because I don't want you to leave yet, come on Ross it's still early. It's been quite a while since we hung out with just the two of us." She pleaded, she still had a strong grip on his arm. Ross let out a sigh as he relaxed on the couch._

_"Okay I'll stay for a little bit longer then, you're right, we didn't hang out much lately huh?"_

_Rachel nodded as she snuggled up against him._

_"I still can't believe Monica and Chandler are getting married." She said softly as she leaned her head against his shoulder._

_Ross tensed up a little at that gesture but shrugged it off._

_"Yeah me neither, I sure hope this one sticks though, I don't want them to have to go to a divorce. Because despite my joking about mine, it feels like crap having to go through that." Ross said somberly. Rachel looked up at him._

_"Aw, hey don't worry about that now, I'm sure they will do better then you did!"_

_"Thanks, that is a real reassurance Rach." Ross said sarcastically but Rachel didn't seem to notice the slight sharp edge to his voice._

_For a moment they were both silent, each in absorbed in their own thoughts._

_Ross stiffed a yawn, he was feeling a bit tired, probably the wine was making him drowsy. He stretched out lazily before sitting up more straight since he had kind of sagged on the couch. Rachel sat up too._

_"I think I'll go now." He said softly. He was a bit unnerved by the intense stare Rachel seemed to give him at the moment._

_"What?" He asked._

_"Do you remember what we discussed on the night Monica and Chandler got engaged?"_

_Ross furrowed his brows in confusion._

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"You know! When we talked about...well bonus night." She said almost matter of factly but Ross did not miss the small hitch in her voice. Suddenly he felt a bit queasy on the inside. His mind may have been fogged slightly with a wine induced cloud but he still had enough sense to know and realize just exactly what she was referring too._

_"Oh that, yeah I remember. What about it?" He asked softly._

_Rachel gave him a thoughtful look._

_"Well, we still never had one..." She said._

_"Okay?" Ross countered, not entirely sure where she was going with this though alarm bells started to go off in the back of his mind._

_Rachel chuckled at his dumbfound expression. She did not know what had come over her right now but she suddenly wouldn't mind if Ross would stay a little longer._

_"Wanna do it?" She said bluntly, her voice wavered a little because of her tipsy state but other wise she looked dead serious._

_Ross promptly felt his cheeks heat up after that blunt statement._

_"Wh..what?" He stammered._

_"You heard me." Rachel said seemingly unfazed by the sudden turn of events._

_Ross gulped heavily as he pondered Rachel's words. No matter how appealing it sounded to him, he knew he had better not give in. It would only complicate things for them, he was sure of it._

_"I don't know if that is such a good idea." He said trying to sound serious but it was kind of hard to do when she was staring at him so intensely._

_For a moment everything was silent. Then Rachel scooted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as she looked him straight in the eyes._

_"I know you want it just as much as I do, I mean I could sense it that night. I'm sure that hasn't changed." Ross just gave her an incredulous look._

_"Well no but...but." Rachel shushed him by laying her fingers against his lips effectively rendering him speechless._

_"Fine, then we won't but we still have the right for a bonus night, you can't deny that." She whispered. Ross blushed at her close proximity, he could practically feel her breath on his face. He cleared his throat and scooted back a little._

_"Sure." He said._

_Rachel observed him, she felt the overwhelming urge to just grab and kiss him despite his hesitation and rejection. She thought she should feel a little hurt by it but she didn't. Suddenly a thought hit her. She could try one more thing to get him to agree with her._

_"Say Ross, did I ever tell you that I went backpacking through Europe?" She slurred slightly. Ross shook his head, not having the slightest idea what she was talking about but as she progressed in her story he thought he recognized it. Though for the life of him he couldn't place it._

_He observed her as she told her story to him, her soft voice was seductive to him for God knows what reasons. He shivered when he felt her get closer to him again, innocently stroking his arm where her fingers had snaked under the rim of his red sleeves._

_He swallowed thickly, whatever it was that she was telling him, it had a weird effect on him, or maybe it was his wine induced mind that played tricks on him. Nevertheless he felt his resolve slip away inch by inch until he could barely contain himself. It had been quite some time for him already and the way she was closing in on him didn't help him in the least. He felt his whole body grow warmer with something akin to lust._

_Rachel watched his transfixed eyes on her and his flushed cheeks. She leaned even closer into him, leaning heavily onto him._

_"Ross?" She whispered softly, her mouth was so close that he could practically feel the warmth radiating off her. He knew what she wanted now, and even though he had a code red in his mind he couldn't help but give in._

_"Do it, do it now before I change my mind." He whispered._

_Rachel didn't need to be told twice, she closed the distance between them when she promptly pushed her mouth against his, engaging him in a passionate almost frantic kiss. The force of the kiss send them tumbling backwards causing Ross to fall on his back to the floor with Rachel on top of him, straddling his waist and kissing him like her life depended on it, not that he minded though because he was kissing her back with equal fervor._

_When the need for some desperate oxygen became to great to ignore they broke the kiss, both quite out of breath._

_"Wow." Ross whispered almost in amazement._

_"Indeed." Rachel said as she sat up, she was now looking down at him with a small smile on her face._

_Ross shook his head as the passion induced cloud seemed to vanish a little now that he could think rationally once again._

_"You know, I still don't think this is a good idea." He said hesitant. Rachel just gave him a look at that. She looked down at him with an innocent look on her face. She planted her hands on his chest and gently shifted her hips, causing some serious friction making him gasp._

_"You were saying?" She asked sweetly. Ross looked up at her with squinted eyes._

_"You're so evil sometimes." He said._

_"Oh but you like that." Rachel countered as she bend down to plant a kiss on his lips while once more rocking her hips into his._

_Ross bit his lip after he broke the kiss. His mind was screaming at him to stop whatever was going on right now, to listen to common sense instead of indulging in passion and things to come. But his body was clearly telling him otherwise, his straining jeans being a clear indication of that._

_"Ah dammit screw common sense!" He said as he grabbed the front of Rachel's shirt and yanked her down again._

_"I knew you'd come to your senses eventually." She chuckled before her mouth was captured by his._

_He immediately deepened the kiss, letting out a small groan when he felt her comply with his request. He didn't care that they were on the floor, in the middle of the living room with a door that was not locked. He didn't care that at any moment someone could walk in and see them doing God knows what on the floor. In all certainty it only added another exciting factor to the already heated situation he found himself in._

_For him there was only Rachel. Her scent surrounded him when her hair felt in his face during their passionate kisses, the feel of her smaller body on top of his, the frantic touches back and forth and the soft noises that seemed to escape them both._

_He gently grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and hoisted it over her head in one fluid motion while he managed to sit up straight. She was still in his lap, straddling him with her legs around him. He latched his mouth onto her collar bone, kissing and sucking the sensitive skin there._

_Rachel sighed as she arched her neck, exposing more skin to for him to explore and that is just what he did._

_"This is so wrong." He whispered in her ear, it made her shiver._

_"Don't care, feels right." She murmured back, her hands had snaked around his neck, fingers playing with the hair on the back of his neck. She grabbed a handful and softly tugged it resulting in him looking up at her. She smiled down at him._

_"It's not very fair that you are still in a sweater while I am practically half naked." She mused. Ross chuckled at that._

_"Well then what are you waiting for?"_

_Rachel shook her head at him before she started the task of taking off his sweater and under shirt in one go._

_"Now you're not being fair, I am actually half naked now." He protested weakly as he felt her small warm hands all over his now naked torso._

_He closed his eyes when he felt her plant a wet kiss behind his ear._

_"So?" She challenged in a whisper. Ross shook his head at that. Suddenly he had an epiphany though. He grabbed her by the upper-arms and pushed her back just enough so he could look her in the eyes._

_"Wait a minute, I know we both want this more then anything right now but we're also both a little more then tipsy..but how will I know you won't fall asleep again?" Ross suddenly asked with a serious expression on his face._

_"Huh, what? What are you talking about?" Rachel gave him an utmost surprised look. Ross rubbed his chin._

_"Well I remember last time when we were kinda drunk...you fell asleep on top of me just when things started to get...interesting. Remember Vegas?" He mused thoughtfully._

_"I did no such thing Geller!" Rachel sounded almost scandalized._

_"I don't know what you are talking about."_

_Ross just gave her a look._

_"Hm yes it's fitting that you won't remember, after all you were far more wasted then I was, I'm sure of that fact."_

_Rachel cocked an eyebrow, she really had no idea what Ross was babbling on and on about but she knew she'd rather get back to what they were doing then have this ridiculous talk. She wrapped her arms around him again._

_Ross blushed in spite of himself when he felt her warm breath near his ear._

_"I don't feel like talking right now though, why don't you tell me afterward?" She whispered._

_But Ross shook his head._

_"No I can't do that because.." But Rachel cut him off by pressing her mouth to his. She kept it there, firmly pressed while she looked him the eyes. She broke away slowly._

_"I said no more talking, whatever I did, I'm sure I won't do it again." She said. To add emphasis to her words, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him backwards till he fell back to the floor once more._

_Ross chuckled against her mouth, he could tell that she would probably not fall asleep anytime soon, not now that she was so willingly on top of him straddling his legs and kissing the living daylights out of him. He could do nothing but give into her passion._

_He wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her down so he could feel more of her against him._

_She had always felt so very, very good in his arms, they fitted like a puzzle._

_"I see you're having fun." Rachel whispered against his lips, her hands were now stroking slow circles over the naked flesh of his stomach. Ross squirmed a little at the ticklish sensation._

_"I thought you said no talking?" He teased as he planted a light kiss on the tip of her nose._

_Rachel sat up, tapping her chin with her finger before she looked back down at him with a rather mischievous expression on her face. Ross squinted his eyes at her._

_"What are you up too?" He asked suspiciously but Rachel just shook her head, griming at him._

_"Nothing, absolutely nothing." She said seriously._

_"Somehow I don't believe you." Ross said observing her face intently, trying to decipher just what she was getting at._

_Rachel just shrugged at him as she bend back down. She kissed her way up from his neck to the back of his ear where she whispered soft spoken words that made Ross blush madly._

_"I bet you don't mind that kind of talk." She said amused as she took in his scarlet features._

_Ross just shook his head._

_"I never knew you had it in you."_

_"Oh come off it! We've done that before, or did the wine make you forget? Because I can remember lots of times where we.." But Ross cut her off by holding his hands up._

_"Okay stop! It's embarrassing enough as it is!" He said. Rachel chuckled at that._

_"You are not as bad at it as you think you are...actually you're quite good." She said seductively. Ross just shook his head at her before he grabbed her by the waist and turned them around abruptly, effectively pinning her under him._

_"Enough already, now where were we?" He said softly before latching his mouth to the crook of her neck. Rachel let out a soft sigh as she wrapped her arms around him. He chuckled against her collarbone knowing that she couldn't resist the gentle touch of his mouth on her naked skin._

_He wasted no more time in removing the only remaining scrap of clothing that covered her upper-body, hiding it from his view. He carelessly flung the fabric aside._

_"I forgot how beautiful you were." He said softly, letting his hands roam over her upper-body, gently squeezing and stroking her sensitive flesh._

_Rachel blushed in spite of herself, even after all these years and all their ups and downs, he still managed to make her feel special in every way possible. She already knew that this was one bonus night she would not forget nor regret._

_She felt his skillful fingers trail down her abdomen till they reached the rim of her sweat pants. She was unprepared for the swift motion in which he removed both her pants and underwear. She gasped in surprise._

_"Sorry." Ross said with a small grin._

_"You don't mean that." Rachel countered._

_"Nope!" Ross agreed, he marveled at the sight of a totally naked Rachel under him. It had been a long time since he had been allowed to see her like this. Rachel blushed under his intense stares._

_"What?" She inquired._

_But Ross shook his head, leaning over her on his hands he brushed his lips against hers softly._

_"Nothing, just you always manage to take my breath away." He whispered._

_Rachel chuckled at that._

_"That is just the wine talking." She countered but Ross shook his head at that._

_"I might be tipsy.." Rachel gave him a pointed look at that._

_"Okay...more then tipsy but I can still think rationally thank you very much." He finished._

_"Whatever you say." Rachel grabbed the back of his head._

_"But you talk too much." She whispered against his mouth. Ross lifted his brow at that._

_"Look who's talking!" He whispered back before closing his eyes and losing himself in the kiss she had ignited. His hands trailed down the length of her body, he mentally mapped away every inch of her naked skin. For all he knew he would never get a chance to do so anymore. He lightly skimmed her sides causing her to giggle into their kiss. He adopted a mischievous look and repeated the motion with his fingers. Rachel broke the kiss, laughing softly._

_"That tickles." She said. Ross grinned halting his movement before relentlessly attacking her making her laugh and squirm away from him. Her laugh sounded like music to his ears. He chuckled down at her as he skimmed his fingers lower over the outside of her thigh. There he halted his movements._

_"Now let me think, what was it again that you liked about me so much?" He teased. Rachel's cheeks flushed at that. She bit her bottom lip as she looked up at him, Ross almost moaned at the sight of that. His pants had now become really painfully tight._

_He shrugged out of them but kept his boxers on, it was still uncomfortable but a little less painful. Smiling down at Rachel he bent down and sucked on the sensitive flesh of the crook of her neck, fully intending to leave a mark there all the while his hands were now traveling to the inside of her thighs._

_Rachel gasped out loud when she felt his skillful fingers touch her in a most intimate way. She closed her eyes as she arched her hips slightly , wanting to feel more of whatever he was doing to her. Small sighs of pleasure escaped her mouth. Ross loved the sound of that._

_He slowed his movements till he came to a complete stop. He softly kissed her half opened mouth, she immediately responded._

_"Why'd you stop?" She whispered with heavily lidded eyes when he broke the kiss._

_"Because I felt like kissing you." Ross said seriously. He grinned as he resumed his movements. He observed her flushed face, the way her eyebrows furrowed and her cheeks flushed under his ministrations was really something amazing to witness. But ,most amazing to him was the way she moaned his name. He shivered at that. He gently planted a kiss on her cheek._

_"Does it feel good?" He teased. Rachel opened her eyes to look up at him._

_"What do you think?" She countered with a small smile on her face._

_"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Ross said increasing his movements with his hands, Rachel's eyes widened with surprised, she couldn't help the small yelp that escaped her lips._

_"Well?"_

_Rachel gave him an almost incredulous look, he didn't really expect her to tell him did he? How could she even put in words, all the things he was making her feel right now. She bit her lip before letting out a deep sigh._

_Her voice wavered slightly when she answered him._

_"Let's just say that if you dare to stop, you'll be in big trouble!" She moaned as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders._

_Ross shook his head at that. He should have known she would say something like that, he knew her well enough by now after all. He once again increased his movements. He could feel her panting against him and knew she wasn't far from reaching the point of no return. For a fleeting second he considered stopping his movements just to tease her but the way she was holding on to him, almost rocking against his hands made him refrain from doing so._

_"Damn." He heard her say before she clutched him tightly as she plunged over the edge. He held her shivering body tight, just marveling in the knowledge that he was the one that had made her feel so good, right now in this moment, it was a fact that made him the happiest man alive._

_She went limb in his grasp as he sat up taking her with him. Her cheeks were flustered hotly, eyes glazed over with the aftermath of her pleasure._

_"Damn." She whispered again before she softly kissed the corner of his mouth._

_"I missed those hands of yours." She joked. Ross chuckled at that. Rachel merely looked at him with a small smile._

_"Now what?" She teased as she rocked her hips into him slightly. Ross stilled her with his hands as he took a firm grasps of her hips._

_"Stop doing that, it feels too good right now." He moaned._

_"So?" Rachel challenged._

_Ross chuckled at that._

_"Just have a little patience, we're forgetting something." He said as he struggled against Rachel's persistent hip rocking despite his firm grip on her._

_"Oh yeah, and what's that?" She asked softly. Her voice was more slurred then before, Ross blamed it on the wine combined with the activities they had engaged in so far._

_"Well for starters, I need to get something called protection from my wallet." Ross said matter of factly but his voice was hoarse._

_"And then I think we should move this to the bedroom because I don't know about you but the the ground here is not very comfortable." He joked._

_"I'm pretty comfortable right now though." She whispered seductively. And it was not a lie, she was straddling his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. She was leaning against him in an almost full body hug._

_"I'm sure you are." Ross chuckled. He carefully stretched his arm out and reached for his jeans that were scattered next to them._

_"But I hate that you still have some clothing on you." She whispered into the crook of his neck where she planted soft warm kisses. Ross shivered at those gestures but manged to keep his head out of the fogged state he had been in a little moment ago enough to fish his wallet from his pants. He opened it and grabbed one of the two condoms that he had stored in there ._

_Little did he know that he had just picked the wrong one._

_Rachel grabbed the small square package from his hands._

_"You're always caring some aren't you?" She joked._

_"Yeah well you never know when some Ross lovin' is in order!" Ross answered. Rachel gave him a look of utter disbelieve at that, she could not believe a sentence like that had just come from his mouth._

_"Okay you are definitely more then tipsy." She muttered._

_"So? So far you haven't had any complaints about that have you?" He said tracing her spine with his fingertips. Rachel shook her head arching into his touch._

_Suddenly she felt herself being hoisted up, she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist._

_"No matter how much I love talking to you, now is not the time." He gasped out as he planned to stumble to her bedroom but almost tripped over his own legs resulting in him falling back on to the couch._

_After regaining some of his breath, he pondered something._

_"Forget the bed this will do." He muttered. Rachel just shook her head at him before he kissed him passionately._

_"I couldn't agree more, now where were we?" Ross lost himself in the moment when he felt her take his boxers off, freeing him from the long and agonizing discomfort he had been feeling._

_He felt her hands on him, making him gasp out loud. He stilled her movements almost immediately though, he longed for her, wanted her and he couldn't wait any longer._

_"I want you now!" He whispered in her ear making Rachel shiver involuntarily. She nodded needlessly as she unrolled the condom over his length. Neither of them noticed that something wasn't right with it, didn't notice the small rips in it, they were too caught up in the moment._

_The moment Ross felt her all around him, he was afraid he would lose all of his sanity right then and there. After all it had been a while since he had found himself in a position as he was in now and it took all of his effort to control the raging feelings that wrecked his body at the moment._

_He buried his face into Rachel's shoulder as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. The way their bodies moved in almost perfect synch almost killed him in every sense of the word. He felt her slightly moist body against his while she was moaning softly into his ear. For the life of him he could not make out the words she was whispering but it didn't matter._

_All that mattered was this moment of pure unadulterated raw lust that seemed to envelope them both. Ross squeezed Rachel into him as they picked up their rocking pace. He could feel her tremble against him as she gasped out his name in such a sensual way that it almost overwhelmed him, of course it could also be the fact that they were so caught up in each other that nothing else really mattered right now._

_With a hoarse moan he finally let go of his control, he couldn't stop it anymore. He kissed the woman on top of him passionately as they both tried to come to terms with what just happened._

_"Why does it always feel so good with you?" Rachel whispered drowsily as she slumped against him._

_"We're just good together." Ross murmured in response. They hugged as they tried to regain their breath._

_After a few moments of silence, he felt Rachel chuckle against him._

_"What?" He asked._

_"Nothing just...this was one hell of a bonus night. Kinda makes me wish we could have another one." She whispered against his mouth as she showered him with small kisses._

_Ross grinned at that._

_"Who knows." He said vaguely. Rachel hugged him close against her again letting out a sigh._

_"I won't regret this, you?" She asked almost hesitant. But Ross gave her a reassuring squeeze._

_"Never." He said firmly._

_Rachel smiled against his shoulder. She let out a small yawn. Ross caressed the warm skin on her back. Right now he felt really content and spent._

_"You know, no matter how much I love sitting here with you, I am kind of spent and I think the wine is starting to give me a headache. I think it's time for some sleep." He said._

_"Will you stay with me for tonight?" Rachel asked._

_"Honey, even if I wanted to, I'm too spent to move another muscle, it might be a miracle if I make it to your bedroom!" Ross joked in an over dramatic voice._

_Rachel shook her head._

_"Liar." She said teasingly._

_"Now that's not nice." Ross mock pouted. Rachel swiftly kissed him._

_"Whatever." She countered..._

_

* * *

_

Ross shakes his head, clearing his mind from the memories that just made everything clear to him. As he looks down on the woman next to him, he can't help but smile fondly down at her. She stirs in her sleep but does not wake up.

Ross gently untangles himself from her and sits up in the bed trying to gather his thought on what he should do now. They both know it was just a one time thing. But it feels weird for him to get up and leave just like that.

He does get up to gather his scattered clothes from the living room, the clock tells him it's still early in the morning. The sun is just starting to rise. He quickly dresses himself but he can't seem to find his red sweater. Oh well he'll get that later he figures. As he is starting to clean up the wine bottles and glasses, an insistent beeping manages to finally penetrate his hearing. He looks for the source of the noise and almost has a panic attack.

The camera he set up the previous night, it was still on. A red light indicating that the tape was full.

"Shit!" He curses as he realizes what that means.

He just taped all that had happened the previous night. He hastily takes the tape from the camera and turns it off before he puts it back in its case and lays it upon Joey's bed.. He puts the small tape in the backpocket of his jeans together with his wallet. If he's lucky, Rachel will never find out about it.

After he tidies the room, he hesitates before resolutely walking out of the room into Rachel's bedroom.

He sits down on the bed just observing her for a minute. She stirs and this time she opens her eyes slowly, her hand feeling for the missing source of warmth. When she realizes Ross is not there she looks around the room and spots him on the edge of her bed.

"Ross?"

"Hey you, good morning." He greets her. He sees her rubbing her temples, there is no doubt in his mind that she is experiencing the same headache as he is.

She looks up at him, the smallest of smiles around her lips.

"Last night...did it really happen?" She asks. Ross bites his lip before nodding his head.

Rachel looks away for a moment.

"Good, I was afraid it was a dream." She hesitantly confesses.

It takes him by surprise.

Rachel sits up completely gathering the blankets around her naked body. She scoots closer to where he is. When she is close enough, she looks up at him before gently kissing his cheek.

"I meant what I said Ross, this doesn't change anything between us and I know that but I will not regret it."

"That's good because neither will I." Ross responds, he gently wipes some strands of hair out of her face.

"I have to go." He says softly.

Rachel nods at him. He grabs her hand and gently squeezes it before he gets up and leaves. Rachel lets herself fall back onto the soft sheets of her bed. She rolls over to the side he has slept on, his scent still lingers there.

Little does she know that this particular bonus night was enough to create new life. Oh well she will notice soon enough...

FIN!

Damn Plotbunnies, making this chapter way longer then I had originally intended _


	28. Under The Rain

**Little glimpses of Love**

**24; Under The Rain.**

**A/n; Welcome to the next installment in this ever growing series. This chapter deals with TOW the Prom video. There is just something I really wanted changed in that episode and well I had so much plotbunnies coming at me at work that I just sat down and wrote it ALL out at once when I came home. It also deals with TOW the List. Also Rachel might be a little out of character maybe? But this is how I imagined one of the many possible scenarios.**

**This chapter will feel incredible short to you because its under 4000 words this time, but it was intentional so bear with it please.**

**BTW Cris-chan, this one is for you! I remember us discussing this issue with that episode so I dedicate this to you and your awesome theories! 3 (XD Do you EVEN remember that discussion? XDD *eyes U***

**And Ccole at Fan , thanks you so much for sticking with this story. I would love to give you a personal reply but I can't since you don't login when you review . But sincerely, thank you!**

**Enjoy!**

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"**Yeah well, I'm not watching it!" Ross stated firmly.**

He didn't look back once as he swiftly made his way towards the door. Without another word he opened it and walked out, closing it behind him softly.

"What's up with him?" Chandler wondered out loud to no one in particular. Nobody answered him, instead they turned their attention back to the Prom home-video that was still playing on the TV.

Rachel frowned slightly though as she only seemed to halfheartedly watch the rest of the tape. The look on Ross' face when he had said that he wouldn't watch anymore of the images before him on the screen , had confused her. He almost looked depressed and a bit pained when he quickly glanced in her general direction before leaving.

She turned her full attention back to the screen when she heard Monica gasp in surprise.

"Oh my God." Her friend whispered softly. Rachel watched as teen-aged Ross scraped his courage together while clearly suppressing his nerves to chaperon her teen-aged self to the prom. She still remembered that night clearly, Chip had finally shown up. She had however never known that Ross was about to take her when Chip seemed to not come in the first place.

She couldn't help the small smile when she saw the shy demeanor Ross displayed in the video as he grabbed some flowers from a vase and told his dad that he was ready.

The next few seconds of film made that small smile disappear though. Her hand unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt when she witnessed the devastated and slightly hurt look on Ross' face when it was clear that Chip had showed up. She heard Judy tell Jack time and time to turn off the camera which was still rolling.

And with that, the tape ended.

"I can't believe he did that!" Monica said with an incredulous expression on her face.

"That was very graceful of him." Phoebe added. Chandler and Joey only shared a knowing look. After all they were very familiar with Ross' feelings for Rachel so to see him do something like he did on that tape, did not really come as a surprise to them.

The only one who didn't seem to be able to comprehend the situation, was Rachel. She was deep in thoughts, her heart clenching almost painfully in her chest when she realized just how much Ross cared for her well being. She had known that for a little while now but this just confirmed it once again.

They'd had a chance to be together but he ruined it by writing that ridiculous list of her faults. But that seemed to pale in comparison now. Rachel frowned slightly. She was confused.

She didn't know what to do now. Just earlier that afternoon in Central Perk, she had told them that they never would become more then friends. But after having witnessed this tape, her feelings for him had sparked once more, if she had to be honest, they never had vanished really, she had just been to stubborn and thickheaded to see past that one little mistake he had made.

She had to make things right, she didn't care anymore. All she wanted was to find him and tell him that she wanted to be with him. It was clear he deeply wanted to be with her still, if that pained look he'd given her was any indication of that.

"I have to go!" She abruptly said standing up and hurrying over to the door. She didn't hesitate but yanked it open rather violently and disappeared before any of the others had a chance to ask or say something.

"What is going on?" Monica asked confused.

"Well...I think, and I might be totally wrong of course, but I think she is going after Ross." Chandler said thoughtful.

"But why would she do that?" Monica started to ask before realization dawned upon her.

"Oh my God, do you think..?" She said loudly.

"Of course! After all, she is his lobster!" Phoebe stated. The others just gave her a look at that before they broke out in a heated discussion that involved two of their missing friends.

Said friends were miles apart, both going in a different direction, one was debating on going home trying to clear his mind while the other was desperately searching.

Ross decided to walk through the park, no matter how much he wanted to be as far away from his sisters building and the embarrassing video, he didn't feel motivated to go home just yet. There he would just be alone and think about things again. He was tired of thinking about things, specially since most of the time his thoughts only revolved around one person.

"Stupid video, why the hell did they bring that over?" Ross muttered to himself as he kicked a small pebble stone away that lay in his path.

He could remember that night as if it happened yesterday. Just thinking back could make his stomach churn with nerves and then gut-wrenching disappointment. He hadn't want to do what his father asked of him, but knowing that Rachel was so upset because of her date not showing up, he hadn't been able to put his foot down.

Ross grimaced as he realized that even then he could not stand to see her hurt. And for what? He sure as heck had ruined any little chance he had with her by writing that stupid list.

Why oh why had he listened to Chandler and Joey of all people? He winced as he remembered how hurt Rachel had been by it. After that, things had just not been the same, their closeness had disappeared.

He could hit himself in the head for making such a fool out of himself in Central Perk that afternoon. He should have known that Rachel didn't want him in that way. She had made it quite clear before and still he had harbored a small hope that she would turn around, that she would forgive him for writing that list and forget about it.

"No such luck, dammit Geller you're so pathetic sometimes!" Ross hissed angrily at himself, He didn't really know why he felt so upset after watching that prom-video, after all it was all in the past but he guessed that remembering that awful night, together with the knowledge that Rachel would never give them a chance to be together had become too much to handle for him at that moment.

He let out a sigh as he looked up at the clouded sky, he hadn't realized that it had started raining.

"Might as well go home now." He said to no one in particular as he quickened his step.

Meanwhile, Rachel was still searching for Ross and grew kind of desperate when she couldn't find him. She had checked their regular spots such as Central Perk and the small bookstore near to it, knowing Ross loved going there just to look into science and other geeky magazines. But this time he was nowhere to be found.

She rubbed her arms, it was rather chilly with the soft falling rain beating down on her. She was already soaked through and through for walking in the wet weather without a jacket. She'd probably catch a cold but she didn't care.

All she cared about was finding Ross and...well and then she'd see what would happen. She wasn't sure how he would react to what she had to say but she had to try and turn things around. She had been stubborn and it got her no-where. Now was the time to let it go and just go with whatever fate decided to throw at her.

But in order to do that, she had to find him first.

"Dammit, where are you?" She murmured as she crossed another street. She stood still under the roof of a small convenience store for a moment to get out of the rain. She ran some thoughts over in her mind.

The only logical and last place she could look for him, was his apartment. He was probably home by now. Where else could he be?

She decided to try and hail a cab, which was not an easy feat in this weather since the wind had picked up and the rain came down more steadily. Rachel shivered slightly as she walked hastily to the corner of the street , intending on getting a cab there when she saw a flash of brown enter her vision. She did a double take, not believing her eyes.

There he was, just across the street, it seemed he had just excited the park and was now walking opposite of her. He hadn't seen her yet as he rounded a corner disappearing from her sight.

"Ross!"

Ross halted his step, he could've sworn someone called his name just now. He frowned in confusion before shrugging it off. He probably had heard it wrong. The ever falling rain made quite a noise as it connected with the pavement and buildings around him so he assumed that he somehow had interpreted that sound as someone calling him. He continued walking, quickening his step.

He'd thought about getting a cab to go home but he knew it would be an almost impossible task so he had decided to walk the few blocks to his building. He was already soaked to the bone so how much worse could it really get?

"Ross, wait!"

Ross arched his brows, now he was certain someone was calling him, he could not have imagined that clear sound that seemed to come from just behind him. He slowly turned around, wondering who would be calling for him, what he saw shocked him to say the least.

Rachel stood a few feet away from him, her clothes were drenched, her hair was wet and hung limply, heavy with the water it had caught. Ross gulped, he thought to himself she had never looked so beautiful to him. He shook that thought out of his mind as he fully turned his attention on her. She was running over to him. He barely had time to register what happened when she launched herself in his arms.

"Rachel? Wha..?" Ross stammered surprised. But she didn't answer him, instead she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close to her.

Rachel closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply , catching his scent mingled with the rain. All the words she had wanted to say had vanished from her mind. All she wanted right now was to be close to him, hold on and not let go. She surprised even herself with her actions.

Ross however didn't know what to think of the situation, there he was in the middle of the street, hugged by the one person he knew he could never have while the rain kept falling around him.

Then he started to panic. Something must've happened for Rachel to come looking for him.

"Rach? What's going on?" He said pushing her away from him. Rachel frowned at the sudden loss of contact.

"Did something happen? Is Monica alright?" Ross asked seriously.

Rachel gave him a confused look. Then it dawned upon her how this must've looked to him. To her, her intentions were clear but he didn't have a clue.

"No nothing is wrong Ross." She said softly. Ross had to strain his ears to catch what she was saying.

"Are you sure?" He asked not entirely convinced.

Rachel nodded firmly before she grabbed his hands and held them.

"I was looking for you...because...because." But she didn't continue, simply because she didn't know how. Ross watched her face in worry.

"Because what?" Ross prodded on. But Rachel didn't answer him, instead she just gazed up in his eyes.

She hesitated but a split second before she acted on her gut feeling. She grabbed a hold of the front of his jacket and yanked him downwards a little so she could reach where she so desperately wanted to go.

Ross' eyes widened considerably as he felt the soft but firm touch of her lips against his as she kissed him full on the mouth. He immediately reacted, not able to resist her.

Rachel couldn't help but smile against his mouth as she felt his immediate reaction, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she lost herself in the moment. She felt Ross' arms encircle her waist and pull her closer to him. She marveled at the warmth that radiated off of him, it made her realize how cold she was as she shivered slightly, though the shivering could very well be caused by something else entirely.

She felt her knees go weak as the kiss slowed to a stop. Without a word, she buried her face into his neck as they kept holding on to each other.

Ross swallowed as he tried to come to terms with what just happened, but his mind was a blissful blank as they slightly swayed on the spot, both afraid to break the silence and the spell that they seemed to be under right now.

But eventually Ross found his voice back. He gently let go of the woman in his arms so he could look her in the eyes.

"What happened? What brought this on?" He asked seriously. He was trying desperately not to get his hopes up high. But it didn't make sense him, how she could just kiss him like that while she had told him they could never be together earlier that day. Her actions were a contradiction and he didn't know what to think.

Rachel bit her lip, she knew he wanted answers but for the life of her, she couldn't come up with one coherent sentence right now. She was overwhelmed by the moment and what just had transpired plus she didn't know how to start.

She shivered rubbing her arms as she tried to come up with a reply.

Ross just watched her patiently. He needed an explanation because she had confused him so much now.

"Rach?" He hesitantly asked when she didn't answer him, there was a silence between them that was slightly uncomfortable. He noticed her shivers and then realized just how soaked they both were, the rain had stopped for now but he was sure it would start up any minute again.

"Let's get somewhere dry and warm first." He said taking her hand and pulling her gently with him, the streets were deserted aside form cars and cabs that drove up and down the lanes. When they reached the sidewalk across from where they had been standing, Rachel stopped him by untangling her hand from his. Ross stopped to look at her in question.

"Why?"

He arched his brows at that.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do it? Why did you plan on taking me to prom?" Rachel asked softly.

Ross turned away from her. He didn't feel comfortable with her question, after all it was not a memory he liked to dwell on.

"I think you know that answer by now." He said softly.

Rachel stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She rested her cheek against his back.

Ross closed his eyes at the sudden contact. He couldn't take it anymore. This was killing him.

"Rachel, what is the meaning if all of this? Do you have any idea what you're doing to me? What about what you said this afternoon in Central Perk? Your actions contradict your words so much that it confuses me. I don't want to get my hopes up now only to see them crushed." He said seriously as he untangled himself from her and stepped away, putting some distance between them.

"I'm sorry..."

Ross' heart sank at those words. Rachel saw his facial expression fall. She hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed one of his hands.

"For being so stubborn." She ended her statement. She could see Ross was confused by it so she pressed on before she lost her nerve.

"I know it's confusing but I'm really serious Ross, I want to be with you. I was just too stubborn and angry with you to admit it to myself. These past few weeks have been hard on me as well. I hated to see our closeness slowly disappear. Every time I looked at you, I had to think of that night when we shared that amazing kiss but then I also remembered that list you made of me and I just couldn't see past the hurt you caused me with that. But seeing how much you have always cared for my well being on that prom video made me realize it was time to stop ignoring what was really there and act upon it."

Rachel took a deep breath after that as she waited for Ross' reply.

Ross took a moment to take it all in before he closed the remaining space between them and hugged her close to him.

"I'm sorry too, I should have never listened to Chandler and Joey and make that list. I didn't realize it could hurt you so much and it confused me. It still does though." He admitted.

Rachel broke the embrace and took his hand, leading him to some small steps of an apartment building where they sat down. Here they would stay dry in case the rain would start up again.

"Ross, you have to understand that I am insecure about some of my flaws. It's bad enough that I make myself feel bad by thinking about them but then to see that someone you care about points out exactly those faults as thing to consider not to be with you, well it's awful. It really confused me and that confusion turned to anger." Rachel explained softly.

Ross nodded, understanding better now.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I had such a dilemma, I didn't know what to do. So I lost my common sense and listened to Chandler and Joey. And although I know that sounds as an excuse it's all I can give you. I felt so devastated that evening, specially when you canceled the song I requested for you. I knew then that I had seriously screwed up." Ross replied.

"I tried to apologize and make you see that I didn't mean you harm but you wouldn't let me. I could understand that on one side but on the other side it was so frustrating. And then I saw you with that guy in Central Perk today and I got jealous and angry because it should've been me talking to you in that moment. I'm sorry for ruining your 'date'." He finished.

Rachel let out a soft chuckle making him look at her in surprise.

"Actually, I'm glad you did...look where it got us now..." She trailed off not looking at him.

Ross turned towards her to grab a hold of her shoulders so he could turn her back around, Softly, he wiped her wet bangs from her face. Without another word he softly brushed his mouth against hers in a gently and chaste kiss.

"Yes indeed and I wouldn't want anything more then be able to be with you Rach, I've been dreaming of this moment for so long, I wont let it slip away a second time." He whispered before wrapping her in his arms around her and pulling her even closer.

Rachel could not stop the tears that slid down her cheeks as she felt him capture her lips once more, wrapping her arms around his shoulders for the second time that day, she sighed into the kiss as she ran her fingers through his wet hair. She was vaguely aware that they were still outside and could be seen by whoever was brave enough to endure the new shower of rain but she found her self not caring one bit.

All that mattered was this intimate moment with Ross, somehow she knew everything would work out for the better now.

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**END!**

**I have a thing for Rainy scenes 3 , They are just so wonderful. So there ya have it, one of my many views on these Episode moments. I have Rachel searching for Ross and starting the kiss because it was so clear in that ep that she is the one starting things up first what with that kiss at the door, which I tried to somehow add in here but slightly different.[/B]**


	29. Envy

**Little Glimpses of Love.**

**25; Envy**

**A/N; *shuffles feet* Erm hi! I know it has been a long time since I updated this, but I've been having a really rough time for a while, now I'm doing a lot better and figured it was time to show my face around the fiction community again.**

**This chapter deals with the whole series in general and is told from, what I believe is a pretty interesting POV. I tried my best to make it as realistic as possible. The person speaks to us so sometimes past and present time intermingle, don't worry it's not confusing.**

**Onward, hope you still like to read this little series!**

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I watch several people wiping their eyes silently as the ceremony progresses, I can't believe I am sitting here, watching this wedding unfold before my very eyes. I never thought I would be invited to such a grand occasion, but she had insisted I'd come.

So, here I am, observing everything that happened in front of me, she looks so happy, so radiant. Her dress really compliments her. The groom has a huge smile on his face, heh I would be smiling like that as well if I were to be standing where he is right now. I can't help but feel just a little envious, like I usually do when facing him and her together.

After the ceremony, everyone moves to one of the big halls this building holds for the reception. I look around while keeping myself occupied with a small glass of water. She catches my eye and I can't help the blush and smile that break out on my face.

She still has this spell over me, she can still make my heart flutter with just a look, but break it just as easily again when I see them together. How many years i have yearned to find something remotely the same as them , I do not know. I glance around me, the people seem so cheerful today, so carefree without a problem in the world. I catch myself smiling and laughing politely with the crowd. It's amazing how long I've known some of these people without ever getting to know them for real. It's a strange phenomenon, confusing and marvelous all at the same time.

Someone hands me a glass of cider but I set it aside just the same, I don't feel like drinking anything at the moment. I cross the room and find myself a comfortable seat. I'd much rather sit here and observe all that is going on in front of me. Of course, as so many times before, my thoughts trail off, getting stuck in the past where everything was still somewhat different yet in many ways the same.

You know, I never believed in love at the first sight until that faithful day, the day she came into my life...

I remember the first day I saw her, it was quite shocking really. She had come running through the doors, heavily panting and wet from the downpour outside. She rushed over to the bar where she ordered a coffee which my colleague handled, Her eyes were wandering around and behind the bar observing and yet seeing nothing at the same time but that first moment when our eyes met, I felt something akin to an electric shock go through me. From that brief contact I already knew I had it in for me.

She looked highly distressed, I remember wanting to do something to ease her mind, to calm her down a little but someone else was faster than me. I knew the dark haired woman and her friends from their very frequent visits to the coffee shop. I often wondered if they even had jobs and I know I have been wondering that during all this time I've been around them.

But I'm dawdling, back to the story. I learned that the distressed woman had a name, Rachel. To me it sounded like the most beautiful name on the planet right in that instant. Yes I know, sounds sappy and mushy but I can't help the way my younger self thought and phrased things. Anyway, as I handed her her coffee, she gazed up at me.

"Sweet and Low?" That one soft question triggered an immense reaction within myself, her voice was shaky, hoarse even. I could only nod as I went back to doing my own thing, after all Terry was not an easy boss to work for, he was always breathing down our necks. But I made sure I remained close to that central couch where I could hear their conversation loud and clear. Hey I couldn't help it, I was curious.

As it so happened, it appeared that this Rachel had walked out on her own wedding. I remember being really surprised at that but I hid it well as I walked back to the bar. When they all left, I was almost certain I wouldn't see her again, after all she was just in a panick-y state, she would go back to upstate New York after her friend had calmed her down. I'm sure Monica Geller could do that, she always seemed to be a very strong and reassuring person to me. Her little band of friends were a little curious though. Sure they were all nice enough but some of them were just plain weird, take Phoebe for example, I always thought that girl had walked out of the sixties what with her hippie clothing and strange words and mannerisms. Then there was Chandler, apparently he was the joker of the bunch, however I never did seem to get his humor. I actually thought it was quite lame. Joey was the ladies man, well he pronounced himself that title anyway and he did keep it in honor, I don't think I have seen someone date as much as he. May as it be, I always thought he was bit of an idiot and just couldn't see why the woman seemed to love him. Must've been his looks or his slight Italian accent. That accent has faded almost completely now though.

Then there is Ross, he is Monica's brother. I never really got to know him as well as the rest in the beginning but that all changed when I made him to be my arch nemesis. I grin softly to myself as I think about that, it sounds so childish now. But I couldn't help myself back then, see he has always been a threat to me.

All because of her.

Now that I know them a lot better, they are not a bad bunch, indeed they are quite a fun group to hang with, yes even Ross. Of course I was never really involved in their midst directly, but by hanging around them, I did experience some of their roughest and happiest time with them.

I was surprised when Rachel hung around, a part of me was happy for it because as I have already mentioned, I fell for her at first sight no matter how unbelievable that may sound. Just to catch a glimpse of her could make my whole day alright again, no matter how bad it may have been, not even Terry's constant complaints could spoil my day whenever I saw her.

Then one morning, I got the shock of my life, she was behind the bar, she would be working with me. I can't tell you how thrilled I was but nervous at the same time. Wanting to make a good impression on her, I tried explaining everything that had to happen loud and clear so she would understand. I happily answered all her questions, anything for a chance to interact with her. I got to know her a little better day by day and I was loving every minute of it.

But despite my growing crush on her, I never actually did take a step to do something about it back then, I was young and naïve. And scared. Does that make sense? She was out of my league, so to speak. I watched her date other people, all the time wishing it was me who she was holding…amongst other things. I can't tell you how many times I'd woken up dreaming of her. I won't go in detail , that's too embarrassing.

But the guys she dated were no more than short flings, all the while I did notice something between her and Ross. It was as if they were growing closer each day. I didn't like it. And although I did feel a bit sorry for the guy, I mean his wife had left him because she was a lesbian. That must have been a low blow, but even that couldn't keep me from slowly developing a slight dislike towards him that grew only stronger with time.

I watched them get closer, despite the fact that Ross had a steady girlfriend at one point, she was nice enough but there was just something between Rachel and him that couldn't be denied. Even Chandler and Joey seemed to know something about it. And then I got another shocker, it seemed that she and Ross had shared a kiss, in front of the doors of Central Perk no less, I remember the feeling of my heart breaking right then and there. I felt miserable, I had not yet build up the courage to take a step towards her and Ross had already snatched her away from me.

But it didn't go anywhere from there for a little while, it was confusing to me. I wanted to know what happened but didn't dare ask, instead I just kept hanging back, observing them all the while plotting a way to get over my silly fears and just ask her out one time.

Alas of course fate had different plans, because a few weeks after that dip in their friendship, they were together. I hated seeing them together, all couply. It disgusted me. I began to really loathe Ross, began to blame him for my own failure to ask her out. She didn't talk about him much when she was working, but the smile she constantly wore was enough to tell me that she was happy.

I tried being happy for her, tried not to show how hurt I was because I'd lost my chance with her. She did notice the slight change in my behavior towards her for she often asked if I was alright. I usually just gave her one of my fake smiles and told her everything was fine.

Suddenly seeing her wasn't all that great anymore, especially when she was with him. I always had this nagging feeling that he was mocking me behind my back, of course that could have been me, just thinking that way. I admit, I blamed him for taking her away from the coffee shop, I cursed him for letting her get a new job even though I knew that she was no longer that almost helpless woman that had come walking in, rather she was really independent and showed it.

And then came that horrible day, I wish with all my heart I could turn back time and take everything back I did that day. I'm not proud of it, most certainly not. But right there in that moment it gave me such a feeling of satisfaction and power, knowing that Ross had done the unthinkable and cheated on Rachel. That is what my roommate told me anyway.

Knowing that I could get back at him, if I wanted too, that I could hurt him, just to make him feel a fraction of what I felt whenever I saw him holding her, kissing her. I didn't think about her, I was foolish almost blinded by the prospect of getting some kind of revenge on him for stealing her away from me.

So when she came in that morning for some coffee, I couldn't keep my big mouth shut. She didn't believe me of course, heh I wouldn't have believed a guy either if he just came up to me telling me my partner had cheated on me. But I did see a hint of doubt, a trace of almost fear in her eyes. I motioned to the window that Ross was coming and she walked away from the bar to sit in the small loveseat by the window, no doubt waiting for Ross to greet her.

But Ross didn't notice her, he came straight up to me, pleading and asking if I had told Rachel anything about his nightly escapades. I remember asking him stupidly if I shouldn't have said anything then, just loud enough for Rachel to hear me as I pinned her with a knowing look. Ross had followed my gaze and then I saw her face change, her expression was one of devastation and extreme sadness though she hid it behind a mask of anger. And that's when I realized I just made a big mistake, an irreversible mistake just because I had wanted to feel justified. I then realized how much she must've been hurt by it, I never meant to hurt her. To be honest, I don't think I ever meant to hurt Ross like that either.

I was just jealous.

They broke up after that.

I didn't see Rachel much after that for a little while. It seemed that whenever she was in the same room with Ross, a fight would break out. I wanted to apologize but I'm ashamed to say that I was too chicken to actually go through with it and as things slowly got back to normal, I kind of forgot about it whole. Then they got back together for a really short while, I believe it lasted no more than three days tops. It confused me but I decided not to dwell on it.

Things calmed down again after that, I was still smitten with her and I was still working up the nerve to take a step forward but it seemed I was taking too long every time for she started dating other guys again. They weren't much but then again they had her, I did not. Her relationship with Ross grew stronger again too, I couldn't help myself when I pondered this. Surely they wouldn't get together again?

For a little while I thought I had been right in thinking so, because Ross seemed rather smitten with an English woman named Emily. I hardly knew her but from what I gathered, she wasn't very nice, nothing like Rachel. Then again, no one could compare to Rachel in my mind. Even I was mildly surprised and shocked when I learned that he was going to marry her, in London no less. His sister got really excited about it and Joey and Chandler spend their days in Central Perk planning all kinds of fun trips they could make in London while Phoebe just shot them angry looks because she wouldn't be able to go due to her pregnancy. I envied them a bit, I wasn't invited. I hadn't expected to be but still, it would have been fun to see the other side of the ocean.

The only one who did not seem to care much was Rachel. No I phrased that wrong, she did care, a lot but tried not to show it. I was a champion in reading her body language and facial expressions; after all I had been observing her for a long time. Now don't go thinking I'm some kind of creepy stalker because I'm not, I just see things and let's keep it at that.

I could tell she was upset about Ross getting married and believe it or not, I could kind of understand why. I myself couldn't believe how rash he'd been in his decision to marry after two weeks, I know this because as I mentioned earlier, I always tried to stay close to the six of them, their lives and adventures intrigued me. It was like watching a large soap opera when it came to them, only I was kind of in the middle of it.

I hadn't thought it would work out, and I was right. But when I heard why the wedding and marriage hadn't worked out, I was shocked. I couldn't believe Ross had said Rachel's name at the altar, but Joey, Phoebe and Chandler kept discussing it so it had to be true.

After that, I watched him go on all kinds of dates, he almost seemed desperate to submerge himself in something solid, something to hold onto. What came as another big surprise to me though, was the fact that Chandler and Monica had apparently gotten together in London, but nobody knew until they were unmasked a few weeks later. They married and seemed genuinely happy with each other. I was happy for them although I didn't see how they could be compatible; then again I am not an expert on relationships. If I look at the few I had, I can't help but cringe.

Then I heard that Rachel was pregnant. I can't pretend not to have been in disbelieve. I mean how could that have happened? Don't worry, I know how kids come into the world, but it just had never occurred to me that she would be bearing one. I often wondered who the father was, she kept it a secret from her friends. Phoebe kept telling Monica that she knew though but it turned out that she had been wrong. When I heard that Ross was the father, I couldn't believe my ears. I mean they weren't even dating for all I knew! But it was true. This was also the moment that was sort of a turning point for me. I realized that she could never be mine, no matter how much I wanted her to be. I'd been too slow, too insecure and now I really was too late, like many times before. It was gut wrenching to see her grow bigger every time I saw her, to see how she and Ross slid so easily in their roles of expecting parents, though Ross was seeing someone at that time, it didn't seem to be much of a problem.

I gathered later that he had broken up with that woman, or rather she had dumped him. But he didn't seem too devastated by it, quite the contrary actually. Rachel moved in with him and I had the feeling that it wouldn't take long for them to get together again and this time stay together too, but I was wrong.

They have a beautiful baby girl, well she is around 2 and a half now and the splitting image of her mother, but she has her father's eyes.

I mentioned to you how I felt like watching a live soap up close right? Well that phrase only solidified when it was known that Rachel was dating Joey, of all people! Even I couldn't understand it. I mean don't get me wrong, the guy is good and all but I'll stay with my earlier observations, he was and is still kind of an idiot at times.

That relationship didn't last long though but it did some heavy damage to Ross and her relationship though they both made sure that Emma, there daughter, didn't suffer from it. Then again the girl was too young to really understand anything other than a little babbling anyway.

After that fiasco as Chandler and Monica call it, things mellowed out once again until the news floated around that Rachel had been fired on her job. Part of me hoped she would come back /to Central Perk. Of course that was wishful thinking, why would she come back here? I still surprise myself when I think about just how long I have been working at the coffee shop, it's in my ownership since Terry retired not long ago, but that is besides the point right now.

I was devastated when I learned that Rachel had a new job, I mean it was good she got a new one but it would take her away from me, it would take her away to the other side of the ocean, to Paris, France no less.

That's when I made a resolution, even though I knew it wouldn't matter to her, that it wouldn't change anything between us, she wouldn't come flailing into my arms even though I would have liked it, but I had to tell her. Had to tell her I loved her. I myself still am not sure just what kind of love it is, I think it's just the kind that you feel for a good friend right now, though I still have my doubts about that little fact.

But I stepped up, I did it. It was her last night in New York and she came walking in Central Perk, telling Ross about her flight when she came up to the bar. Already knowing what she wanted since she always ordered the same thing , I made her favourite beverage. She turned back to Ross, rounding up their conversation and I knew it was then or never.

So I stepped up and told her, I told her while being on the end of my silly nerves, I was literally shaking but nobody seemed to notice that.

She had looked at me with an almost saddened yet tender expression thanking me for telling her that. She had touched my arm briefly, I'll tell you that one small innocent touch made my day. Afterwards, at home I scolded myself for it but at the same time I was so proud of myself, I had finally told her what I'd wanted for all those years. Then it dawned upon me that she wouldn't be around anymore and I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried over that, she had been a big part of my life after all, even if she didn't know the full extent of it.

Can you imagine my shock when I came to work the next evening and saw her there? I think I stood in the doorway gaping like a fish on dry land for a good 5 minutes straight. She had greeted me as she walked past me, back out through the doors, followed by Monica and Ross.

I kept wondering f she would stay here, then I learned via Joey that she and Ross were back together, this time for good and I couldn't help but smile at that, yes I was still a bit envious of Ross but I had always known that they would somehow end up together for the long haul. They'd had many obstacles but as Phoebe often phrased, they were each other's lobsters and as I observed them interacting with each other and their daughter, I know it was for the best this way. It was time for me to really move on…

I smile softly to myself, yes time has flown by so fast but I wouldn't have changed it. I stand up and stretch, I think I'll just go home. I'm tired though the party is still in full swing. I walk up to Ross and extend my hand.

"Thanks for inviting me" I say as I shake his hand, he tells me it wasn't a problem. I nod my head at him, wishing him good luck in the years to come and turn away. I don't see her anywhere but I don't feel like lingering any longer, I do have to work in the morning.

I walk down the small corridor that leads to the main entrance where I know I can haul a cab from the street corner when she suddenly appears in front of me.

"Hey, you're leaving already?" She asks and I have to fight to keep the blush from reaching my cheeks, she still has that power over me as I told you before.

I want to answer her, tell her good luck but the words won't come. I just nod my head extending my hand. She grasps it. I utter the one single word that comes to mind at that moment.

"Congratulations" I say softly and then let go of her hand. As I turn around and walk away, she answers me cheerful.

"Thanks Gunter, see you soon in Central Perk!"

I can't help the smile that breaks out on my face, yes I have to move on and I actually have already started doing that since a while, but Rachel Geller-Greene will always have a special spot in my heart.

* * *

The end!


	30. Wake up Call

**26; Wake Up Call.**

**A/N;  Hello! Welcome to a new Chapter of LGOL. My, it has been quite a while again, hasn't it? I apologize. I will not make up any excuses, just know that I have not forgotten about this little gem and I hope you haven't forgotten about me either!**

**Here is a new chapter, I warn you it does have a R rating to it. It does contain some material not suitable for younger readers though it's mostly just heavy suggestive content. This chapter is inspired by Season three, in which Rachel manipulates Ross with the thought of her waking him up in her 'special' way.**

**Enjoy!**

**(This chappie is dedicated to Cris-Chan (XD) and Maria. )**

* * *

"Crap!" A loud hiss emitted from her mouth as she stumbled into the dark apartment. So much for a silent entry. Sighing, she flicked the light switch. A glance at the clock told her it was way past midnight already. Things had gotten out of hand at work yet again. But despite the tiredness she had felt earlier, she could not help the small smile that flashed across her features.

Yes she loved her job, dearly. It still amazed her how she had landed such a great opportunity. It certainly did beat working at Central Perk.

She softly laid her keys on the small side table before taking of her shoes and jacket. She stretched out and yawned. She was dead tired, she would do anything to just crawl into bed and sleep right about now. Deciding that nothing withheld her from doing just that, she picked up the bag she had discarded by the door and walked towards her bedroom. Luckily there was an other light switch on the wall next to her door. She flicked it, dousing the living room in darkness again. She slowly turned the knob on her bedroom door and slid in closing it behind her.

The sight before her made her stop in her tracks. Ross was sprawled out on her bed, taking up most of the space. He had left the bedside lamp on for her. His hair was tousled and his mouth slightly opened. She could hear soft snores coming from him. The blankets were half off the bed, giving her an exquisite view of his bare chest. She roamed her eyes over his appearance, an almost sad frown coming over her face for just a second.

Yes, she loved her job but with it came a certain sacrifice. The time she got to spend with Ross was scarce lately. It was strange but she missed him in a way. Sure they were still as close as ever but something had changed. Rachel pondered over this thought as she readied herself for bed.

She carefully tried to push him aside a little so she could at least get in the bed with him. He groaned before turning on his other side, facing away from her. Rachel took advantage of this moment to grab the blankets and cover them both. She turned off the light and snuggled into his back, wrapping her arms around his torso. She buried her nose into the crook of his neck, he smelled so good. She let her hands draw small circles on his chest. Flattening one of them, she could feel the steady beat of his heart.

A smirk formed around her mouth as a wicked idea floated through her mind, penetrating her sleepy thoughts before her eyes closed and she was oblivious to the world around her.

* * *

The first thing Ross noticed was the darkness that surrounded him which was strange because he was sure he had opened his eyes. Yet somehow he could not see a thing. He could only hear someones soft breathing near to him and feel a light touch on his cheek.

"Wha...?" He asked sleepily, "Rach, is that you? What's going on?" But he didn't receive an answer, instead he felt someones mouth upon his effectively silencing him. His eyes widened a great deal yet he could not resist the temptation to kiss back for there was only one person who would kiss him in such a manner.

When they broke apart he had to gasp for air before he could speak.

"Rachel?" He tried to reach out to her but found that his arms were restricted, or rather his hands were. He realized they were bound with some kind of soft fabric to the head post of Rachel's bed. He could not help but panic just a little bit. He now understood why it was so dark around him as well, Rachel had blindfolded him. But why on Earth would she do such a thing?

"Shh, consider this that wake up call I promised you." She whispered in his ear. A shiver ran through his body upon hearing those words. He gulped audibly, something told him he was done for.

He gasped as he felt her small hands on his upper body, caressing every inch of skin they could reach. He could feel that she had straddled him, her upper-body curved over his. Her long hair was ticklish against his skin as she bend down further to plant another brain searing kiss on his lips. Ross closed his eyes, no use to keep them open now that he was blindfolded. His arms jerked against their restrains, it was frustrating him that he couldn't wrap them around her like he usually did.

"Did you really have to tie me up?" He whispered breathless when she finally decided to give him some space to breath.

"Hm mm", was all he got as an answer. He let out a sigh, he would just have to go along with whatever she had planned out for him and he actually didn't mind that in the least. She had caught him off guard with this though but those moments were soon forgotten when he felt her skillful hands trail down his body. The way she scraped her long nails across his skin gave him goosebumps. He shuddered involuntarily. He could feel himself grow aroused under her gentle touches.

"Looks like someone is waking up." Rachel said. He could practically hear the smirk in her tone of voice. He was about to retort but his respond flew out of the proverbial window almost immediately for Rachel had tucked her hands into the waste band of his sweatpants. Ross bit his bottom lip to prevent from gasping out loudly when he felt her stroke him through the fabric of his underwear.

He couldn't help the small groan that escaped him nor the slight bucking of his hips as Rachel worked her magic on him.

Rachel looked down on the man writhing below her. She smiled slightly at the sight that greeted her. Ross' face was becoming increasingly more flushed and he was biting his lip again. That little gesture jolted something her, he looked so sexy when he did that. She loved it. She paused her movements on him and bend down to whisper in his ear. She sat back up smirking in satisfaction when his face had turned from pink to beat red.

She decided to take her teasing a step further. She got up from straddling him. Ross was confused, where had she disappeared to?

"Rach?" He said with a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat and called her name again. There was no answer but he knew she still was in the room with him, he could hear her walk around the bed. What was she doing? He started to resent the fact that he couldn't see a thing. He pulled on the restraints trying to free himself until he felt her fingers enclose his wrists.

"Stop that, Ross. I won't let you go...yet." Ross gulped at her tone of voice.

"Come on Rach, they are starting to hurt!" He whined hoping to get some sympathy from her. It was no use.

"If you would just stop struggling against them they wouldn't hurt you." Rachel planted a kiss on his nose before resuming her previous position on his stomach. Ross' eyes widened a considerable amount when he realized something was different.

Rachel smiled when she saw realization dawn upon his blindfolded face.

"You didn't think I would let you have all the fun now, did you?" She asked innocently. Ross wasn't fooled by her tone, he knew she was far from innocent.

"What did you have in mind?" He spoke soft but firm deciding to play along with her little game.

She didn't answer him, instead she bend down to plant a wet kiss on his lips.

"You'll see."

"It's kind of hard to 'see' with this blindfold on though." Ross retorted.

Rachel chuckled.

"Well, you'll just have to learn to get used to it for now won't you?" She shifted her position on top of him, laying almost flat. He could fee the warmth of her skin against his and it drove him crazy. His hands itched to touch her but he was powerless. He wondered briefly if he should just struggle really hard against the bonds so they would tear but decided against it. Something told him Rachel would not appreciate that and he didn't dare to risk her stopping all of this because of that action.

So he just went along with whatever she was doing, and right now she was doing some really good things to his body.

He felt her tug on the waste band of his pants.

"Lift your hips a little, baby." Ross did what he was asked. He let out a sigh of relieve once his pants and underwear had been taken off.

"Now, let's have some fun." Rachel whispered into his ear. She started to rock her hips into his. All Ross could do now was just follow her movements and gasp out. He heard her breathing pick up as well.

He couldn't take it anymore, he had to touch her. He almost growled as he pulled on his restraints once more, using more force than he had earlier.

Rachel stopped moving. She bend down over Ross' head and helped him get the binds loose. She had planned to keep him tied up during their little game of passion but she ached for his touch as much as she already knew he itched to touch her.

The moment his hands were free, Ross wrapped them around her waist and pulled her down to him. He almost flattened her body against his. Rachel let out a low grunt, the force of his movement had almost knocked the air right out of her.

"So much better." Ross said with a smile as he let his hands roam all over body, softly kneading and caressing her slightly damp flesh. Without warning he bucked his hips up taking Rachel completely by surprise.

She moaned softly. Sitting back up again, she began to meet his thrusts in time with her own. Ross circled her hips with his hands to still her movements. Rachel protested by trying to swat them away, she was so close.

Ross smirked before swiftly turning them around and pinning Rachel beneath him. With one hand he took his blindfold off. The sight that greeted him was a good one. Rachel was looking up at him through half lidded eyes, her cheeks flushed to a healthy red color. He could see the light sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"Hey you." He whispered. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Hey you." Rachel automatically answered back. It was their greeting, their thing. To others it seemed silly but to them it meant the world and then some.

"I'm not completely awake yet." Ross said suggestively. Rachel grinned up at him wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well we better get back to work then." She whispered. Ross winked at her as he thrust into her slowly. She arched her back thrusting her hips up into his. Soft sounds of pleasure escaped her half opened mouth. Ross loved watching her whenever they were intimate like this. It made him happy to know that he was the one that could make her this vulnerable. He would never hurt her and she knew it, the trust between them was rooted deep within.

He bend down and sucked on the soft skin in the crook of her neck, he could feel she was getting close to release. He knew he wasn't far behind. He lifted his head slightly to whisper in her ear.

"Come for me, sweetie." He said as he thrust deeper into her. He felt her wrapping her legs around him, her arms tightened around his shoulder as well. She dug er nails into his back as she let herself go.

Ross was amazed, she always looked so beautiful when she let herself go. The sight before him combined with the sounds she made drove him over the edge as well. With a shuddering whisper of her name he found release.

Rachel clung to him, showering his neck and face with butterfly kisses. When they both had caught their breath, Ross turned them around again. He didn't want to flatten her underneath him, he was positive his arms couldn't have held him up any longer. Shivers and tremors still shot through his body when he turned them.

Rachel relaxed on top of him. She propped her chin up in her hands and just stared at him.

"That was one heck of a wake up call." Ross said with a tired smile.

"I gather you like my new methods then." Rachel replied also smiling. She laid her head on his chest, listening to the fast beat of his heart that was starting to slow down by now.

"Yes, I wouldn't mind waking up like this more often." Ross said. She could hear the suggestive tone in his voice. She smiled drawing circles on his stomach.

"Hmm, let me think about it."

"Aw come on! You can't be mean to me now."

Ross wrapped his arms more secure around her. Rachel snuggled into his embrace.

"We'll see..."

**END. **

**Thank you for reading, I know the chapter was a bit short by my standards but nonetheless I hope you enjoyed it ^_^**


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